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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647754">Twisted Au</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foop/pseuds/Foop'>Foop</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hermitcraft RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Designs are lazy, Doc runs a bar fuck yeah, Everyone Needs A Hug, Feels, Gay Panic, Grian gets drunk a lot, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I'll just get to writing now-, M/M, Mild Gore, Mutual Pining, Permadeath AU, Swearing, Tags Are Hard, Winged Grian, basically hermits have a bad time, dont ship the real people, is that good enough?, only mc personas, relatively short chapters, twisted AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:28:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>42,933</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foop/pseuds/Foop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mumbo wakes up after a long day of work and something's not right... well actually a lot of things aren't right. Hes trapped in this new mysterious world and needs to find a way to not die, which proves rather difficult.<br/>Posting this over from amino since people seemed to like it there, I will try my best to improve it though because there's a lot of stuff in the og fic I'd like to fix ^^</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Grian/Mumbo Jumbo, Mumbo Jumbo/Grian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Where even am I?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer! There will be shipping in this fic and it contains EXCLUSIVELY their mc personas, not the real people.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo sat down on the edge of his large concrete hexagon, the sun's heat had been shining down on him all day. He could barely bear the soreness tightly gripping his muscles now, an understandable side effect of working on his base all day long with pretty much no breaks. A few of the other hermits had stopped by, equally admiring for his determination to get this base done and concerned for his well being. Despite their concerns probably being founded in more logic than his own the mustachioed man would wave their worries away with a stubborn "It's not as tiring as it looks". This excuse only worked on the redstone people since the builders knew very well how exhausting such a task could be. Two of these builders who had been informed of his building marathon would frequently come for a visit to remind the British man of how stupid he was being.</p><p>"Ah yes, of course, the intense sweating and bags under your eyes are completely natural Mr Mumbo Jumbo" Grian would tease as Iskall leant on his short winged friend.</p><p>"Look at me! I'm Mumbo Jumbo and I'm gonna build for hours on end because breaks are for the weak! I will also try to convince my builder friends who know about this way more than me that it is perfectly healthy!" Iskall added in his best mocking British accent.</p><p>"Guys- this is completely uncalled for!" Mumbo defended stubbornly "even if I were to be overworking myself I am an adult and I'm confident in my decisions-" but of course the more the tall hermit denied their accusations the more amused they'd become at his dwindling supply of excuses "Ugh, why'd it have to be you guys? at least when X comes to tell me I'm overworking myself I can use the one excuse of calling him a hypocrite"</p><p>"Come on Mumbo, a little rest never killed anybody!" Grian pressed, with a glint of worry in his voice "the base will still be here once you get out of bed"</p><p>(Lovely foreshadowing)</p><p>"Knowing you, you'll find a way to make it disappear" Mumbo grumbled under his breath yet still loud enough for them to hear, running his fingers through his raven black redstone-dusted hair.</p><p>"Why are you so determined to finish this today dude? Your base is already looking super cool, no hermit flying by is gonna be any more or less impressed if you don't take breaks" Iskall huffed "Also your base won't even get done if you die out of- not sleeping and stuff" Grian just nodded in agreement.</p><p>"I am not going to die just from building a bit longer than I should, you guys are just worrying too much" The redstoner rolled his eyes tiredly.</p><p>"Hmm" Grian pulled Iskall into a little joke-y side meeting, joke-y because Mumbo could hear what they were saying anyways "Alright you get the shovel, we knock him out and we can carry him to bed"</p><p>Iskall chuckled, going along with the bit "Yeah yeah of course, it seems he has forgotten that we can just use violence to get him to bed" </p><p>Mumbo sighed, rolled his eyes and got to work "You guys can do you, I'll be finishing this hexagon" He murmured.</p><p>They then looked at each other with worry and begrudgingly accept that there was nothing they could do but hope and pray the redstoner wouldn't work himself to the grave.</p><p>It was a little hard to be this stubborn, he could only shove away the growing concerns of his caring friends for so long. Maybe, maybe they were right. Just maybe they were trying to talk actual sense into him. He was starting to feel kind of dizzy now, the sun boring into him from the sky, as if taunting him with this overwhelming heat, and the constant rustling and chirping that came from the nearby jungle was starting to drive him a little insane. He took a deep breath, leaning on the dark gray pillar besides him for support only to quickly pull away with a yelp as it sizzled to the touch. Ah of course, Mumbo wasn't the only one affected by this heat day. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, it was probably for the better anyways.</p><p>Mumbo snapped himself out of his thoughts. He was so exhausted he decided that collapsing in the bed would ultimately do him better than collapsing on the floor. The tall hermit hoisted himself off of the ground and trudged all the way over to the little river that separated his bases and into his hobbit hole. Even though he was planning on moving to his in-between-bases-base he hadn't bothered moving his bed yet. The mustachioed hermit ran his hands across the wooden markings on his walls before hesitating at the front of his bed. Something was off, Mumbo didn't know how to put it into words but something was certainly off. Maybe it was someone outside causing the world to stutter with heavy redstone contraptions or perhaps it was Grian making infinity rooms full of entities that made the world they lived in chug. After a few more seconds of hesitation he gave in, slumping down on the base of his bed and letting himself rest. Whatever it was, it could wait until tomorrow. It didn't take long for him to be out dry, his light snoring quickly started to echo on the walls.</p><p>-</p><p>When waking up something was certainly off, first of all right away he could feel the matress that was once under him was no longer there. In the sleepy shuffling trying to get comfortable and fall back asleep, he bumped a wall with his elbow and something fell on Mumbo's face, something grainy and dusty. Before opening his eyes he assumed he was being pranked by someone on the server, that wouldn't be very rare, but as his hand was raised to his face to wipe whatever this was off his eyes and opened them he let out a startled shriek at what met his face. Dirt, a wall of dirt. Upon further inspection there was no bed under him, just dirt. He was surrounded completely, the only wiggle space he had was the two square meters his body required to exist.</p><p>The tall hermit wasn't really aware he was claustrophobic until right then, when he started to panic. His immediate thoughts were <em>I've been buried alive and I am about to die, I will never be able to finish my base<em>. Anxiety welled up in his stomach, and the walls from his perspective started closing in. Hyperventilating wasn't the best use of oxygen in his current situation but what could he really do about it. He spent a few minutes panicking until he no longer had the energy to, just then did his rational thoughts kick in, this was still most likely a prank. Although whoever had done this prank was incredibly cruel and was in a LOT of trouble.</em></em></p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The raven haired man took a few deep breaths and started to dig upwards, driven by the pure desire to see the light of day. A few smartly placed scaffolding blocks under him as he broke the ones above his head. One last punch over his head and the sunlight he had cursed a few hours ago washed him over just like his relief. The tall hermit scrambled out of the hole and sat down on the comforting lush grass.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"Sweet, sweet sunlight, dear lord" he muttered under his breath "Grian, Iskall, or whoever you are, you're in so much trouble"</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The redstoner rubbed his eyes, so they would adjust to the light. He pulled himself up, his back was killing him and he was already planning 101 ways to get back at- Mumbo's usually active thoughts stopped right in their tracks.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>His eyes were deceiving him, they had to be.  There was no way this was real, there was no way what he was seeing was real. This is a dream, this is a nightmare. His base, the thing he'd been working on for the past few months was just… gone. All his work had reverted to the peaceful jungle hill it was before the tall hermit had deforested it. The trees were swaying innocently in the cold breeze the plains offered. At first he didn't know what he felt other than frustration, but other emotions quickly surged into his chest. Grief, sadness, and worry that the other hermit's builds had suffered from this too. He picked himself up and put himself together. If this had happened to everyone he didn't want to add to the panic everywhere else.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The raven haired hermit glanced back down at the hole he came out of, it's on top of the hill where his hobbit hole would be. It was empty too, the hill was as lifeless as when he found it all those months ago. This wasn't nearly as disheartening as the big base but he was still quite upset. The tall man took a few deep breaths to steady himself, it couldn't really get worse anyways. He could still… somehow rebuild this. It would just be incredibly tiring to start from- he quickly checked his pockets, they were empty- yep, starting from scratch. He could still figure this out, he always did, right?</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>He composed himself and decided to go check on Grian, Mumbo knew that the shorter hermit had also been working really hard on his beautiful mansion and he would probably be just as disheartened. Starting to walk already made him miss his elytra and how convenient it was.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>His mind started to drift as the sound of crunching leaves under his feet and chirps of parrots from the jungle all blended together into a static of sort, leaving him alone with his thoughts. The Hermits were all unique people, you don't see sentient blue slime people every day anywhere else but you did here. Grian was one of those unique people. Nobody knew if he was born an angel or anything but he's the only hermit with natural wings, which often gives him a huge advantage over everyone else who at the start has to wait for elytra. It didn't feel very fair, but they all had their little quirks to even the playing field. This was one of those moments where Mumbo would kill to have something like that, some sort of advantage but nah, just him and his brain against the world, which often proved to be a hard way to live life compared to everyone else.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>The redstoner strolled under the tall jungle trees that hung way over him, casting a shadow on the bushy path now untouched by civilization. The leaves only allowed for small rays of sunlight to peek through but it was more than enough to illuminate his path. He knew his way to Grian's base but he found it a bit annoying that there was jungle in the way instead of something easier to traverse. There was an uneasy feeling to the jungle today, he felt like he was being watched, like there were eyes burning holes on his back. But every time he turned around there was nothing, it must just be his paranoid thoughts.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>As the tall hermit rounded the corner of another tree he could finally see peeks of Grian's mansion in the horizon of the thick foliage. From what he could see the small builder had been incredibly busy, it looked way more complete than last time Mumbo visited. There were beautiful terraformed mountains surrounding it and the mansion had expanded in pretty much all directions. Mumbo scoffed with indignation.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>"How dare he tell me I'm overworking myself when he's finished the base in a few days! Bloody hypocrite" He said to... well to himself. Now Mumbo was the one concerned for Grian's well being and even though he wasn't over his own base he still wanted to see what had driven Grian into… this. The redstoner's worries made him hurry his pace a little more, they clung like stones weighing down his stomach. His mind was whirling with thoughts and concern, and partly a little bit of awe. The mansion before him was to be expected from his incredibly talented friend. There were additions Mumbo wouldn't have thought up in a million years, like little water canals along the sides and massive holes on either side of the center staircase leading up to what appeared to be a nether portal.</em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>Why has this only happened to me? Where did my base go? Is Grian ok? Has anyone else overworked themselves this badly? Why haven't I found anyone, if they are all missing their elytra I would expect to have bumped into someone else in this jungle by now, or at least heard some rockets or something. Maybe they're all still asleep? I'm not one to wake up early though, and its like midday anyways-<em></em></em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>Before he knew it he was at the foot of Grian's gigantic mansion staircase, but that wasn't what snapped him out of his thoughts. It was this overwhelming force that tackled him to the ground, his cheek was forcefully dragged against the stone on the base of the pretty polished stairs on the floor. The tall hermit let out a panicked shriek as he felt the cold dull side of a blade up against his throat.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"Who are you?" A female voice hissed between gritted teeth "how did you get here, mustache man?"</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"Wh-what?!" He cried out, trying to open his eyes only to be met with a face full of stone "what's going on?"</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"I'm the one asking the questions here, stranger" she growled. The voice was familiar, familiar enough that he could make it out through his panic-blurred thoughts.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"F-false what are you doing!?" Mumbo replied using his free hand to push the blade away from his throat, but that only earnt him another firm push of his face against the floor. Tripping over his words like one would while being held at knife point.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"How do you know my name?" False spat "How did you get to this world?"</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"W-we…" it took Mumbo a few breaths to form cognitive words that weren't blurted out of pure instinct "we're friends! What are you doing? I've always lived here!"</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"Liar!" This didn't sound like the False he knew in the slightest "lucky for you I have a way here for dealing with strangers who come into our world" she hissed.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"Your world? What are you on about? We-" he was cut off as she flipped the knife over to the sharp side and pressed it against his neck. The instant he felt pressure applied on the weapon his pure instincts kicked in, no rational behind them, he just wanted to survive this encounter.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>His hands hadn't been pinned, so he used them to shove his fellow hermit off of him with all the force his muscles would allow and without a millisecond of hesitation he scrambled to his feet and started running up the stairs to Grian's mansion. He heard the clatter of the knife as it fell to the floor and the light thump False made as she fell backwards. Mumbo didn't know if she was running after him but refused to look back. It was all happening so quickly Mumbo's thoughts hadn't really caught up with him, this was all fight or flight kicking in. </em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>He reached the grand door at the front of Grian's mansion, yanked it open, dove inside then shut it behind him and held it closed with his all his might. There were a few seconds of silence before False slammed into the door, presumably trying to break it. The door stayed strong, and Mumbo's weight was enough to keep it from opening from the force of the impact. She tried over and over, with varying degrees of success but no attempt was actually able to knock the massive wooden door down. Presumably out of spite, she stuck her long sword through the door, he didn't have time to react when the sound of splinters and wood breaking announced the blade appearing right next to his head on his side of the door. He was able to hear a grumble under her breath as her steps grew further away from the big wooden door.</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <em>
      <em>
        <em>"Tsk, whatever, that place is a death trap anyways. If he doesn't end up finishing my job for me it'll be a miracle."</em>
      </em>
    </em>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Bit of a pickle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo waited at the door a solid few minutes to make sure it was safe to lift his weight off of it. There wasn't much else he could do but hope and pray that False wasn't just playing the long game outside the door, the False HE knew certainly wouldn't bother. But this was clearly not the False he'd befriended. Maybe Grian would know why she was acting so strange and literally tried to kill him, because he would very much like an explanation.</p><p>It took Mumbo just getting up for him to realize he was trembling a lot. His legs were shaking to the point where he might fall back onto the door. He used the wall to steady himself before starting down the long corridor entrance dimly lit by torches. This level above the storage system seemed to be more of a living area than the floor below.</p><p>The pillars led his eyes up to a grand living room with a massive crackling fire, which was doing most of the lighting in the entire room. The walls were beautifully decorated with expensive looking paintings and shelves that were filled with trinkets, most of which Mumbo didn't recognize, but some he did, from the misadventures Grian had early in the season. It was all incredibly bizarre, when did the builder even find the time to make all of this? Last time Mumbo was here there wasn't even a back on the mansion!</p><p>On the center of the living room a few meters away from him over a fluffy velvet carpet was the person he was looking for, Grian, on a fancy looking couch with a glass of wine in one hand and his phone on the other. There was a pretty spotted cat purring on his lap who appeared to be asleep. Grian did not seem to notice Mumbo's presence, so he figured he'd make himself known.</p><p>"G-grian?" Mumbo called "What's with… all this?" He gestured vaguely at the entire room.</p><p>To say Grian looked startled was a bit of an understatement. At the initial sound of the tall hermit's voice the blonde man had a little jump, which promptly scared the kitty off of his lap and it scurried into another room. After a few seconds of staring he finally spoke "I think the better question is why is there a bumass lookin homeless guy in my mansion?" He spat quite rudely turning his chair to face Mumbo, his british accent way more faded than yesterday.</p><p>This certainly startled Mumbo, he hadn't heard someone say anything less PG than 'hell' in a very long time. Also getting a closer look at Grian something seemed different. The short hermit was wearing a dark purple silky cape around his neck and he had purple star-shaped symbols painted on his face. Upon closer inspection, the light purple wings were still there underneath his cloak, comfortably folded as if he was hiding them.</p><p>"Mate" Grian snapped his fingers as if to snap Mumbo out of his head "my eyes are up here, I know I'm beautiful but you gotta say something for yourself Mr Homeless man"</p><p>"Wh- I'm not homeless! Grian I don't know what kind of prank the entire server is pulling on me but this isn't funny!" Mumbo snapped "What in Queen Elizabeth's shiny crown is going on?"</p><p>"Prank?" Grian chuckled in amusement "Ah, right, that's what everyone thinks when they first get here. I assure you bud that this is no prank" the winged hermit said in a calm yet still somehow intimidating voice "I have no clue what kind of pranking circus this is but I would really appreciate it if you stopped tracking dirt in my mansion and got lost, hobo"</p><p>"B-but this isn't- this place is wrong!" At this point Mumbo just spoke his mind with no filter or concern of how wimpy it might make him sound "False tried to kill me! My base is gone, and you're not cooperating!"</p><p>"Ok Mr hobo, I think you're getting a tad too fired up" Grian stood up slowly, the light purple wings on his back were still there, now spreading out as if he was preparing to take off but it just happened to be a stretch "Why don't you go out there and let pest control- I mean False take care of you"</p><p>Mumbo took a step back, his legs were back to shaking uncontrollably "y-you're not gonna throw me out are you?" He gulped.</p><p>"What? No of course not, I'm not a heathen like those monsters outside" Grian waved his hand in dismissal "I'm getting a professional to do it. As long as she doesn't get blood on my carpet it should be fine"</p><p>"What?!" Mumbo felt the urge to run away from the mansion in panic but his legs wouldn't cooperate "Grian you can't do that! We're supposed to be friends!"</p><p>"Friends huh? How so?" It wasn't asked out of genuine curiosity but the intent to watch him try to explain himself.</p><p>"I-I know your name! And that you're P-poultry Man and you like putting chickens on people's bases!" Mumbo said hurriedly "Also that you had trouble making storage systems until re-recently and you like slaughtering birds"</p><p>It took Grian a double take to let what this presumed stranger had just revealed to know "yeah right- wait what!?" Grian turned towards him with a glare that could almost laser through him "how did you know that?" He hissed, suddenly more aggressive.</p><p>"I told you, I'm your friend, I've known you for a good couple of years" Mumbo murmured "and I don't know what's going on but wherever I am you're the first person who hasn't tried to kill me… straight away" not a very hard bar to clear since False was the only other person he'd met here.</p><p>At that Grian seemed to momentarily drop the attitude and give him an empathetic sad smile. It was probably a while since he'd been given a half-compliment if everyone in this world was as mean as he'd perceived. That gave Mumbo a little hope, perhaps he could get through to Grian easier than he tried to get through to False.</p><p>But soon enough the pompous demeanor returned "okay look Hobo, I don't know how the hell you knew I was Poultry Man, or how you know so much about me" Grian started hesitantly "but… as long as you promise not to tell anyone about the Poultry Man you can stay" he added that last part in a childish mumble.</p><p>Mumbo's eyes lit up "really?" At this point of the day he really didn't have the energy or rationale left to be weary of his friend's promise "Do you mean it?" The redstoner figured Grian was only doing this to protect the man in the chicken costume's identity.</p><p>"Kid I know it's exciting to have a someone this cool as your friend" did he just call me a kid- "But contain youself a little bit"</p><p>"Kid? You're only like 3 years older than m-" Before he could finish his sentence there was a loud bang at the front door. Mumbo yelped and scrambled behind Grian's chair "She's coming for me! What are we gonna do?"</p><p>"I mean… it wouldn't take a lot for me to just… leave you here" Grian suggested with a misbehavior 'Im legitimately about to leave you to die' grin.</p><p>"What? You said you weren't gonna kill me!" Mumbo's voice cracked with panic.</p><p>"And I won't, she will. I said you could stay, not that I would protect you" Grian said as his light purple wings unfolded under his cape, pushing it to his back so they were opened conformably. His wingspan was pretty much double his height  "it was nice talking to you, Hobo, but even if I wanted to help you out shes blocking the only way out for people who can't fly, aka you"</p><p>"B-but you can't just leave me here!"</p><p>"And why not? It's not like-"</p><p>"I'll tell her you're poultry man!"</p><p>That seemed to shut Grian up. He stood there for a few seconds as if contemplating his options. "Huh, you make a good point kid" he grumbled, hesitantly extending his hand to Mumbo. The redstoner took it enthusiastically.</p><p>"I do! Does that mean that you'll help me- whOA" In an instant Grian took off and yanked Mumbo off of the ground. The tall hermit's reflex was to cling on for dear life as Grian flew up through a 1 block hole on the roof that Mumbo hadn't even noticed. Soon as he opened his eyes he was soaring nearly above the clouds across the jungle, the only thing that was keeping him form falling to his death was his tight grip on the winged hermit's arm. It had all happened so quickly his brain took a bit to catch up, and when it did, it was terrified "ARE YOU INSANE!?" He shrieked.</p><p>"Whaaat? I thought you said you knew me" Grian teased, pretend-falling for a second only to straighten back up again just to frighten his passenger "wouldn't you know that this is probably the most me thing I could ever do?"</p><p>"I…" he started but failed to find an argument "YOU'RE RIGHT AND I HATE IT!" Mumbo spat as the wind batted his face.</p><p>
  <em>Dont look down just whatever you do don't- jesus christ I am going to die.</em>
</p><p>"What, is the little hobo afraid of heights? Here lemme-" Grian let go of Mumbo's hand, who didn't have time to react before the blond hermit flew back around and safely grabbed his waist as if that were a safer hold "is that any better?"</p><p>"No! Its not better! You almost just dropped me and I still feel like I'm going to die!" Mumbo cried "This is awful!"</p><p>"Oh come on don't be such a pussy, the sky isn't that scary" Grian scoffed "maybe its just a hobo thing but usually people are thankful when I take them for a fly"</p><p>"Stop calling me a hobo! I have a name!"</p><p>"I don't care enough to ask"</p><p>"You are so rude!"</p><p>"What are you gonna do about it? Put me in the time out corner? In case you haven't noticed we are about half a kilometer in the air, I have wings and you do not" Grian reminded him</p><p>"Well are you just gonna call me Hobo always?"</p><p>"...fine whats your name"</p><p>"Thank you for asking, my name is Mumbo, nice to m-" he felt the support of his weight give away as he was put back into freefall this time there was no skillful maneuver to get him. His heart started racing, in a moment like this one would expect his mind to be racing too but no, all he could hear in his head was static and not much else. Not wanting to look to the fast approaching ground Mumbo flipped around to look at Grian. The short Hermit was frozen, his eyes were wide as plates and it seemed that instinct was the only thing keeping his wings beating. He clearly hadn't done it intentionally otherwise he'd be flying away.</p><p>For Mumbo everything was slow-mo, as if the world was giving him time to contemplate before he met the ground. He didn't want to die, not here at least. If he died here then nobody would bury him, nobody would care because these people aren't his friends. This isn't the same world as yesterday. The redstoner gathered a breath and screamed at the top of his lungs "GRIAN!"</p><p>It seemed to snap the winged hermit out of his terrified trance. Even from a distance Mumbo could clearly make out the panic in his face as he dove for his mustachioed acquaintance. The tall hermit's world started to slowly become darker and darker and darker… until something snatched his leg and yanked it back up before he hit the ground. He heard the frantic flapping of wings like a bird caught on a tree and suddenly the ground did hit his face, just way lighter than he'd expected.</p><p>-</p><p>Mumbo slowly blinked open his eyes. He was alive! He took in his surroundings, he was sat against a tree in a clearing of a forest. He'd clearly crashed and fell, as there was a mumbo-sized dent of dirt leading up to his sitting spot. The redstoner had a killer headache. A shuffle and a pained groan from the tree caught his attention. He whipped around to see Grian and his wings tangled up in one of the trees in the clearing, a few little scratches- presumably from the tree branches- were bleeding but nothing too severe.</p><p>"Grian! Grian are you alright?" Mumbo scrambled up before he remembered he'd crashed too. He had to stumble back to the ground when his ankle screamed the millisecond it was set on the ground "argh…"</p><p>Grian gave another defeated groan before finally voicing up to assure Mumbo he was concious "are you hurt too?" The short hermit's voice sounded hoarse and tired.</p><p>"I think I've sprained my ankle" the restoner replied</p><p>"I can help you if you can manage to somehow untangle me from this tree" Grian sighed, not even bothering to look up and hanging from the foliage like a wet towel.</p><p>"Grian I can't get up- like at all" Mumbo murmured "this will take a while"</p><p>"Well in a while is better than never, there's a branch stuck on my right wing and I'm afraid if I move it might snap it off" there was genuine fear in his voice.</p><p>"Alright then" Mumbo had to crawl over to his winged friend's tree, careful not to use his sprained foot at all. He strategically clambered up the tree using one foot only until he could finally reach Grian "Let me tell you that this might hurt, and if it feels like im about to rip your wing off please tell me" the redstoner warned.</p><p>"Just get this over with" Grian sighed, but winced immediately to the touch "please be gentle and… the wings are sensitive to say the least, so be careful there" he seemed embarrassed to share such information but stayed silent after that.</p><p>"I'll do my best" Mumbo promised. They made no small talk while he was working, not a word, just occasional winces from the small hermit. It was a bit awkward but the silence was somewhat comfy, for Mumbo at least. It took him about half an hour before he announced his progress "Once I pull this vine you will probably fall to the floor, so brace yourself"</p><p>"Oh my god just do it already-" he was cut off as he faceplanted directly onto the floor. Mumbo couldn't help a chuckle as Grian dusted himself off "not funny!" He grumbled, stroking his right wing delicately as if grooming it.</p><p>"Was I gentle enough with your pretty little wings your Majesty?" Mumbo teased as he clambered down as carefully as he'd clambered up, and used the trunk to keep himself balanced without having to use his foot.</p><p>"Could've been better if I'm honest" he sassed back "everybody knows that no matter what you never stroke feathers the opposite direction or you'll ruffle them, just saying"</p><p>This felt right, this version of Grian had barely met him, dropped him from the sky, tried to leave him to die and they were still having playful banter. "Well I'm sorry to have offended you, poultry man, but it was either ruffled feathers or no wing at all" he tried to walk forward for any action that emphasized his point but he was quickly reminded why he couldn't as pain shot through his foot "little help here?"</p><p>Grian hesitated, as if something important had dawned on him and his eyes were as shocked as  when he'd dropped Mumbo. After a silent and slightly awkward few seconds Grian wearily slung his arm over Mumbo's shoulder and supported him in a way where they could walk without tripping.</p><p>There was an awkard silence before it was broken by the taller hemit "well...where are we going to go now?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. We'll figure it out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where are we going to go now?"</p><p>"I'm…" Grian was staring into the distance with blurred, unfocused eyes. Clearly he hadn't planned for things to go this south "not sure" his right wing might not have snapped off but it was very bruised and ruffled, trying to fly would be a bad idea. It did seem to plaster a somewhat pained expression on the builder's face.</p><p>Mumbo was very surprised Grian had completely dropped his show off-y self centered personality, and he was left with a confused Grian instead. "Where were you even taking me?" Mumbo murmured, leaning in heavier on the shorter hermit's shoulder.</p><p>"I was just trying to get as far away from the mansion, I wasn't going anywhere in particular" he shrugged "and stop leaning so hard on me, you're ruffling the feathers mate"</p><p>"S-sorry" he shifted some weight back to his good foot "well we might have to find shelter, it's gonna rain" grey clouds swirled above their heads.</p><p>"Well then we would've had to land anyways… it just would've been a bit gentler" Grian grumbled, rubbing his aching shoulder.</p><p>"Alright we better get looking for a roof then, don't wanna get wet" Mumbo sighed. The blond hemit gave a quick nod and helped him limp across the forest. They walked for a while, kind of wandering aimlessly so long it started to drizzle. They exchanged no words, but Mumbo's mind was racing. Foliage was blocking most of their view but eventually they found a good-enough cave. Grian set Mumbo down roughly on a corner and started gathering sticks and dried leaves to make a fire, grumbling complaints under his breath.</p><p>"Fuckin- Bloody hell, never thought I would have to spend another night in the wilds like a peasant" The short hermit huffed, finally getting a spark to start a little fire at the center of the cave. The winged man shuffled closer to the fire to warm his hands.</p><p>"Hey about the swearing…"</p><p>"What about it?" He looked up at the mustached hermit amused "afraid of naughty language are we?"</p><p>"What? N-no Im not afraid of it or anything its just… hearing it from your mouth catches me off guard, I rarely ever heard you say something "naughtier" than hell"</p><p>Grian raised an eyebrow "why is that so? I've always sworn, I thought everyone knew that, certainly more than just hell" he said as he casually bent part of his wing onto his lap to brush through the feathers with his fingers.</p><p>"It's just-" <em>how do I even begin to explain this?</em> "I'm… do you want the full story?"</p><p>Grian looked outside, the rain was now battering down on top of them harder than before. He sighed "we've got all night, I don't see why not"</p><p>"A-alright… gosh I don't know where to start- I come from somewhere that isn't here, its different and I'm scared" he confessed "I miss my base on the hillside border of the jungle, I miss my tools and I miss my friends… you were one of those, so was False" Grian raised an eyebrow as if prompting him to keep going "nobody tried to kill me, nobody dropped me from the sky and nobody-" he cut off "actually, why did you drop me from the sky? Was it intentional?"</p><p>The shorter hermit seemed to be caught off guard as he immediately became defensive "I don't wanna talk about it" he snarled, fluffing up his wings.</p><p>"O-okay you don't need to" he assured "anyways it's like you're my Grian but… cocky" Mumbo chuckled sadly "False is like my False but a frickin mercenary and I don't even know what everyone else is…" he trailed off.</p><p>After a few moments of silence the other man finally spoke up.</p><p>"How was… how was your Grian?" He murmured, his sky blue eyes reflecting the active light of the fire.</p><p>"Oh boy, he was… he was something alright. He always pulled pranks on people, like a short trouble gremlin" Mumbo sighed, running his redstone-less fingers through his black hair "he made sure I can't wait at my farms at any time because I would almost always wake up in an obsidian box with a curse of binding grian head dispensed on my head"</p><p>"Alright first thing I'll remind you that I'm still Grian and I don't appreciate the backhanded insult on my height" Grian huffed, jabbing Mumbo's rib with his elbow "and second, is your Grian really that bloody annoying?"</p><p>"I mean, annoying is a harsh word, he's just having fun" he dismissed, rubbing the back of his neck "or you're just having fun? I'm not gonna lie this is a bit confusing"</p><p>"And I'm assuming your goal now is to go back home huh? It does sound like a nice place" Grian chuckled.</p><p>"Yeah, I've only been here a day and its safe to say I'm not having a very good time" Mumbo admitted "No offense"</p><p>"None taken, this place truly is awful" Grian said oddly seriously, his healthy wing drooping almost to the ground behind his back "I might know someone who could help you but if you're going to talk to him I can't come with"</p><p>"What? Why not? If there's a way to get back home we should get going-" The raven haired man started to stand up before stumbling back down. Ah, yes, sprained ankle.</p><p>"Woah there it's almost as if you've forgotten you sprained your ankle" the blond hermit rolled his eyes "It's… X, but let's say we're not in the best terms with each other. He doesn’t like me very much” Grian admitted, shifting his weight from one side to the other uncomfortably.</p><p>Curiosity twisted Mumbo’s face “And why is that so? What happened?” Back at home they got along fairly well… Part of him predicted what Grian would say next.</p><p>“Don’t ask questions you know I won’t give answers to” He snarled, looking away stubbornly.</p><p>“It was worth a shot” Mumbo scooted closer to the fire and held his knees up to his chest “What am I allowed to ask then?”</p><p>“Look, kid, ("you're only 3 years older than me!") all you need to know is that here everyone is out to get each other” The shorter hermit said with a sad wing twitch “Friendship is a weakness, the only reason I’m trusting you is because you are completely clueless so even if you were out to get me you’d be incredibly incompetent at doing so” he murmured, pulling out a very intimidating switch blade knife and just casually toying with it like it was nothing.</p><p>Mumbo noticed something in Grian’s way of referring to him, even though he was being talked about, the winged hermit refused to call him by his name. It was odd, like he was actively avoiding it.</p><p>“This sounds awful- how do you guys live like this?” Mumbo murmured, warming his hands over the fire pit “It must be so lonely if you are unable to trust anyone”</p><p>“So what? Lonely here means survival” Grian was finally done smoothing out his bruised wing and moved on the other one “X is the one who maintains the status quo here, it’s not like we have much of a choice”</p><p>“X is the one responsible for this? In my world he's the one keeping us from ripping the world- and each other apart” Mumbo shifted onto his back on the cold hard floor. It was far from comfortable and it made him miss his bed in his hobbit hole but it was the best he could do.</p><p>“That sounds nice” Grian’s voice turned a tad childish and hopeful before he caught himself and realized he’d let down his guard “I-I mean… better than this shithole”</p><p>“Am I allowed any more questions Mr Pesky bird?” He took the chance to see if this Grian also went by that name.</p><p>“How did you-... huh” that earned him a tired smile “I haven’t been called that in a long time, you can ask, mate- just nothing too personal I guess”</p><p>“Hmm…” Mumbo chose his words carefully, he felt like he was walking on eggshells “How is Iskall here- like is he mean too? Because I can't really imagine him being mean"</p><p>“Iskall? Hoo boy, if I’m honest he’s the most kind hearted person here” Grian shrugged “Nobody fucks with him purely because he’s strong and clever, he’s the only one here who can balance survival and niceness. Was he your friend?”</p><p>“That does sound like Iskall alright” Mumbo nodded “He was one of my closest friends, is he the only nice one here or is there anybody else I should know about?”</p><p>There was a minute of hesitation and a thoughtful wing twitch before Grian spoke up again “Yeah, he's pretty much the only one… maybe like- Scar and Stress are nice too I think, I dunno, I haven't talked to them in a while. I do visit Iskall regularly though”</p><p>“Well...<em>You’re</em> treating me fairly kindly” The redstoner pointed out.</p><p>“I dropped you from the sky and almost left you for dead, I don’t sound nice” Grian huffed, shuffling a bit closer to the fire.</p><p>"Yeah but I mean after that, you're more patient than your personality may lead one to believe" the redstoner peppily pointed out despite being incredibly tired "If you were the normal Grian you would've reminded me how much of a spoon I am for even letting myself trust someone who almost killed me"</p><p>The compliment seemed to catch the winged hermit off guard, which Mumbo found extremely odd since this Grian seemed to be so full of himself "I-I guess there's something wrong with me today then" he murmured.</p><p>There was a minute's worth of silence in the cave, not a peep until finally the redstoner broke it "What are we gonna do tomorrow? You can't fly and I can barely walk and we both need medical help"</p><p>"Well since you've brought him up, Iskall might be willing to help us" he said, tucking his wings under his ragged dark purple cape as if tucking in his own sheets "Im on good terms with him and his mega canopy of doom isn't too far away from here I believe"</p><p><em>That's right! His canopy must be complete now…</em> "Alright then, but for now I believe we need rest" Mumbo murmured "if I end up waking up back at my hobbit hole base it was nice knowing you"</p><p>Grain didn't respond, or move. Mumbo just assumed he was being ignored and let himself rest. It had been a long day, and part of him wanted this to all be a dream, to be shaken awake by his Grian and his Iskall. To wake up in his hobbit hole with his tower of minecart chests full of his friend's needy messages, to not hear about this nightmare ever again. But this felt too real, the other part of him wanted to stay and help this community express actual kindness. Nonetheless, it didn't take long for the redstoner's thoughts to quiet down and allow him to drift off into sleep, tiredness forcing his eyelids shut.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Finally someone nice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo blinked awake. He was still in the cave where he'd fallen asleep in, rubbing his eyes as the dark of the cave took shape in front of him. Looking around he could see that the fire had been put out, the morning sunlight was peeking through the entrance hole, no longer obstructed by rain clouds or dripping foliage. From the entrance the dripping sound of drops falling off of leaves echoed heavily in the cave . Something was missing though, the small hermit wasn't asleep across from the fire pit like last night. Anxiety quickly rose up in his throat.</p>
<p>Mumbo tried to get up and panic but he fell right back down as pain shot through his leg. Right, sprained ankle… "he… he left me to die here" the redstoner gasped.</p>
<p>"Did he now?" A calm voice and a chuckle came from just outside "do you have that little faith in me? Jeez"</p>
<p>Mumbo yelped in surprise as Grian jumped down from somewhere above the entrance with an amused look. "Why the heck were you up there?" Mumbo demanded cautiously, embarrassed.</p>
<p>"Damn, can't I get some morning air? Am I that untrustworthy that you immediately assumed I left you to die… again?" The winged hermit rolled his eyes, stretching his wings sleepily and unintentionally blocking the light that shone down from the entrance.</p>
<p>"Can't blame me for thinking so" the taller hermit huffed defensively, narrowing his eyes "you said it yourself, nobody here can be trusted"</p>
<p>"I'm surprised you remembered, I guess I never thought people wouldn't trust me since I'm currently the only person I trust" Grian said with a smug smile.</p>
<p>"Ah, so you think I'm going to backstab you then?"</p>
<p>"Possibly, you might try it but you'll fail miserably because you can't walk on your own or even defend yourself"</p>
<p>Mumbo rolled his eyes "alright whatever, we're headed to Iskall's today so he can patch us up right?"</p>
<p>"Right, and for the record it's definitely because of that and not because he has alcohol" Grian clarified.</p>
<p>"Are you really just coming for the alcohol?" The redstoner asked, amused.</p>
<p>"Whaaat pshhhhhht noooooooooooo… let's just go" Grian helped Mumbo up off of the ground and lended his shoulder for support again. This time the walk through the forest was a lot more comfortable but Mumbo couldn't put his finger on why.</p>
<p>"How are Stess and Scar then? you told me they were nice" This time they were actually talking instead of walking in silence "Yet again I can't possibly imagine them being mean"</p>
<p>"they get pushed around quite a lot, they're nice but not in the Iskall way. Iskall can stand up for himself while those two have a harder time doing so" Grian murmured "Nobody's ever over to help them so they have to deal with stuff on their own, I honestly have no clue how they haven't been stepped on already"</p>
<p>"Hey!" The redstoner jabbed the shorter hermit's rib with his elbow "Don't insult some of the only sources of kindness here"</p>
<p>"I wasn't insulting them! I was just being honest, those two need to grow a backbone" Grian shrugged "Kinda like you!"</p>
<p>"Like me? Are you saying I don't have a backbone?"</p>
<p>"That's exactly what I'm- oof" the winged blonde was promptly cut off by another jab "cut that out! I'm the one holding you up!"</p>
<p>"I was making a point, I do have a backbone!"</p>
<p>"Hidden under multiple layers of pushover that is" he rolled his eyes "right now you're letting me step all over you"</p>
<p>"I'm not letting you, you're just persistent even after multiple jabs to the ribs"</p>
<p>They continued to banter as the massive completed canopy in the horizon grew closer and closer. To say it was impressive was much of an understatement. It felt so big it was almost triggering the megalophobia Mumbo didn't have. The leaves far above their heads cast massive shifting shadows on the jungle floor. It was breathtaking and even a little stressful to imagine the countless hours poured over this project to make it look so magestic.</p>
<p>Mumbo gave a hard gulp "This is… incredible"</p>
<p>"Yeah I know, Iskall worked his ass off to make this bad boy, it's pretty much its own landmark" Grian said with a nod, as they approached it the small hermit ran his fingers over the absolutely gigantic root that more than quadrupled them both in size alone.</p>
<p>"Well? What are we waiting for?" Mumbo sped up the pace of his limping, more dragging along Grian behind him than the other way around. The small trees opened up to a big wooden door at the base of the canopy, nestled comfortably between two of the massive roots. The redstoner hurriedly knocked on the massive door with his full force and waited for a response. Before anyone could open the door Grian shuffled in front of Mumbo while still keeping him supported, spreading his wing to mostly cover him from the front "hey! What's this for?"</p>
<p>"I've never brought him someone new" Grian replied bossily "so stay behind me until i give you the cue"</p>
<p>Mumbo grumbled under his breath "he can still see me, I'm taller than you-" he shut up as little noises emerged from the door, as if the person on the other side was opening a whole bunch of locks.</p>
<p>It took a little, but eventually the door was pushed open just a bit, enough for a green cybernetic eye to peek through the gap "Who is it? What's the password?"</p>
<p>"Iskall it's me, Grian" he rolled his eyes "stop being extra and let me in, I need your help"</p>
<p>The eye looked him up and down "Grian you're not tall enough to hide someone behind you" Iskall teased from his little peep hole "Whos your friend?"</p>
<p>Grian scoffed "how dare you! I'm perfectly able to… y'know what it doesn't matter, we're hurt and we didn't spend an hour or so limping all the way to your mega canopy of doom to be shut out"</p>
<p>"Alright, alright" Iskall's familiar laugh sounded through the hole as he closed the door again, undid one final lock and swung the massive door open. Mumbo finally caught a peek at this Iskall. He was more rugged looking, his hair was obstructed by a gnarly looking viking helmet. His beard was all scruffy and his clothes were a bit tattered, and there was something green on Iskall's neck he couldn't make out but he looked about as "changed" as Grian. Iskall's face twisted with worry as soon as he got a better glance at the two of them "Oh gosh- what happened to you? Come on in and I'll patch you up, you look like you've been run over by a car"</p>
<p>"We fell out of the sky" Grian murmured with an annoyed wing twitch.</p>
<p>"We? Your friend here doesn't have wings" Iskall replied with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>"I was carrying him out of danger, False was coming for him and out of the kindness of my heart I saved this poor hobo" the builder declared semi-proudly.</p>
<p>"What?! YOU did a nice thing?" Iskall joked in an exaggeratedly dramatic voice.</p>
<p>"I know, there must be something wrong with me" The winged hermit sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.</p>
<p>"Anyways, whos the new guy?" Mumbo flinched at the sudden attention, he'd just been spacing out and admiring the inside of the canopy "yeah, you" Iskall said with a warm smile "You must be harmless if Grian trusted you enough to give you a fly around, he hasn't done that in a while" </p>
<p>"Wh- uhm…" Mumbo looked at his support for help but Grian looked terrified of something, like he's forgotten something important. "M-my name is Mumbo and I… I'm not from around here I guess. Thank you for helping us"</p>
<p>The instant he mentioned his name Iskall flinched and did a double take "M-mumbo?" The viking's eyes were round as plates, not in fear but utter surprise. Iskall stared wide eyes for a few seconds, speechless until he seemed to look over at Grian and his pained expression, and after a small sympathetic hum it granted him the ability to talk again "I-I mean… funny name, huh?"</p>
<p>"I guess?" The tall hermit was completely and utterly confused "what's wrong?"</p>
<p>Mumbo could see Grian's breath quicken but Iskall seemed to maintain relative composure "Nothing! It's nothing it's just… an interesting coincidence" the viking didn't elaborate "lets just… lets just go get you two fixed up"</p>
<p>Mumbo wanted to ask badly, there was clearly something they were hiding from him, but part of him knew they wouldn't give him the answers he wanted. He reluctantly followed Iskall to one of the beds in his base. They both hoisted themselves up next to each other and the viking looked them up and down. There was a lot of unspoken tension in between all of them, not a word.</p>
<p>Iskall started gently wrapping their wounds with bandages and treating for possible infections. Grian's right wing was apparently so bruised it has to be completely wrapped in bandages to the point where it looked like a bandage statue attached to his back. As for Mumbo, Iskall's movements were a lot more hesitant when treating him. His ankle was wrapped up tightly and he was given a crutch. "Don't step on it, it'll hurt for a couple of days and you can't run for a few weeks, wherever you go you go with the crutch" Iskall instructed "and as for you, Mr Broken wing" he murmured turning to Grian "if you even think of flying in the next week or so then I will chain you to the ground if I have to. You're earth-bound until I say so, got that?" The winged hermit begrudgingly nodded.</p>
<p>"Well what are we gonna do while we wait? I have… I have places to get to" Mumbo murmured.</p>
<p>"You get to spend some days with your good friend Iskall of course" the viking beamed "I'm sure whoever's expecting you can wait out a sprained ankle, and if they can't I'm sure they'll be fine anyways. Nobody here actively seeks company"</p>
<p>"I…" Mumbo looked at the shorter hemit for support but he refused to meet his eyes, Grian was just somberly staring at the ground "I guess I can wait it out?"</p>
<p>"Great! And I'm assuming Grain has nothing much to do either" Iskall lifted Grian's chin up gently with his hand, and mirrored his sorrow expression after a few seconds.</p>
<p>Mumbo looked at them both silently for a second before deciding on what to do "Iskall… could you get us some water? and perhaps get him some shots because I'm pretty sure that's why he took us here" The mustachioed hermit said suddenly, getting surprised looks from both of them "We need some space"</p>
<p>"Wait wait what's with this <em>we</em> shit?" Grian raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Please?" Mumbo ignored Grian's quip as was purely asking Iskall.</p>
<p>"erm okay?…" the viking looked between the two of them, then at Grian specifically who was scowling, and finally smirked "I'll give you two all the space you need" that comment was met with an eye roll and a groan from the shorter hermit and a confused tilt of the head from the taller one. Iskall left the room and left the two alone sitting on the tattered bed. Grian shuffled a couple centimeters away.</p>
<p>"So, what's wrong?" Mumbo started.</p>
<p>"Huh?"</p>
<p>"There's clearly something neither of you are telling me, what's wrong?"</p>
<p>"Well what's it to you?" Grian growled, looking away.</p>
<p>"What it is to me is that I want to know why everyone treats me so differently here once I tell them my name" Mumbo huffed "I know it's sounds silly but it's not that bad!"</p>
<p>Grian's left wing fluffed up defensively "I haven't the foggiest idea of what you're on about"</p>
<p>"You were being a jerk until I told you my name and now you're less of a jerk, and now Iskall treats me like I'm made of glass! I would like to know what's going on"</p>
<p>Grian shuffled away "it's because of nunya"</p>
<p>"Nunya?"</p>
<p>"Nunya business, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong" he snarled</p>
<p>"But…" the redstoner hesitated, then sighed "no, I get it"</p>
<p>Grian looked surprised Mumbo backed down so quickly. He scowled "This is what I mean when I say you need to grow a backbone"</p>
<p>"Well do you want me to push it? Because there's a difference between being a jerk and having backbone, clearly you don't know it" Mumbo snapped.</p>
<p>Grian flinched, blinking slowly in surprise "it's… it's called privacy mate" his wing fluffed up "and if you want to know so much about it then at least buy me dinner first" despite not having even touched alcohol he sounded tipsy.</p>
<p>"G, please this is serious!" Mumbo grumbled, stomping the ground with his foot and quickly recoiling, because of course he forgot he'd sprained his ankle.</p>
<p>The winged hermit just laugh-snorted "Dumbass"</p>
<p>Before Mumbo could reply Iskall swung the door open with shot glasses, vodka and water"I'm back!" He startled them both out of them and made them instinctively yank the other closer for comfort. Mumbo didn't have time to be flustered when the builder shoved him away and got up excitedly.</p>
<p>"About time!" Grian snatched the bottle from the viking's hands and poured a few shots. He offered one to Mumbo "C'mon, drink your worries and guts away with me ya pussy"</p>
<p>The redstoner hesitated "I'm not sure, if I forget Ive sprained my ankle so much when I'm sober I'm gonna wake up with a hangover and a broken leg"</p>
<p>"Pshht, alright fine" Grian rolled his eyes, turning to the cyborg "Iskall, bottoms up"</p>
<p>"What, me? Sorry G, not today, I have things to work on tonight. I might have been able to help you but I'm not made of time" Iskall chuckled.</p>
<p>"Alright fine, I'll drink alone, you guys are incredibly boring"</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Night at the canopy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grian was… a bit of a lightweight when it came to alcohol, and Mumbo already knew that. Maybe it was because he was so small or it was just the way things were but after just a few shots Grian was already slurring over his words. Iskall had left them to roam around while he went to work on other things, which Mumbo wasn't sure was a very good idea. He had no idea how Iskall trusted them not to burn the whole canopy down when left alone but he'd do his best not to let Grian do any harm to the tree or himself.</p>
<p>They decided to hang out (and by "decided" he means drunk Grian dragged him over with no regard for his opinion) in a small area Mumbo was sure was recent. It was cute, a nice little living area with natural light and vines tangled on the walls. Soft yellow couches were nestled comfortably between the inside of the carved out roots of the canopy. The light that filtered in made this area a bit warmer than the rest of the canopy, making it that little bit cozier contrast to the cold air of the outside.</p>
<p>Even on the way there the redstoner was already having the time of his life poking fun at how funny Grian's mannerisms were when drunk. He kept tripping over himself, having sudden angry outbursts followed by completely turning back around and becoming giggly and childish to the point where Mumbo felt like he was dealing with a teenage girl having very aggressive mood swings. To say it was entertaining seeing the previously secretive and sarcastic builder act like this was an understatement.</p>
<p>"That crutch must be incredibly annoying" Grian grumbled, stumbling into the couch from behind before correcting himself and walking around to sit on it, followed by Mumbo who neatly sat beside him "but it's nothing compared to what I have to bear" he huffed, crossing his arms as if defending himself from the point Mumbo hadn't even made.</p>
<p>"I'm sure being earth-bound isn't that hard" Mumbo rolled his eyes, putting a hand over his mouth as to not chuckle and provoke an outburst. Dealing with drunk Grian was always fun even in another world.</p>
<p>"How would you know? You've been earth-bound all life, but my wings are my life!" He slurred with an exaggerated arm motion "it's been a few hours and I'm already having withdrawals, I need to feel the wind on my faceeeeeee" he whined.</p>
<p>"I haven't been earth-bound all my life!" The redstoner scoffed "are you familiar with the concept of elytra and firework rockets? I'll have you know that-"</p>
<p>"Elytra sounds like the start of a scientific name for a terminal disease, no I am not familiar" he snarled.</p>
<p>"What do you mean you're not? It's like the most used armor by people who don't have wings!" The taller hermit murmured, curious.</p>
<p>"Well I do have wings, so it's not my problem. Far as I'm aware I'm the only one here who can fly" the builder boasted, spreading his wings onto Mumbo's face as if to literally rub it in.</p>
<p>"Are you sure?" <em>I mean… neither Iskall or False had elytra</em> "What do you find in end cities then?" he muttered curiously, batting the drunk's wing away gently.</p>
<p>"End cities? Errrr…" it took him a hot second to think up an answers "shhhhhulkerssss?" He looked like he was guessing "I dunno I've never been there, I just buy all my shulker boxes"</p>
<p><em>So there's no elytra here? Great…</em> "alright whatever"</p>
<p>"Geez, salty much? I'm sorry you weren't born as beautiful as me" he flicked his imaginary long hair.</p>
<p>Mumbo rolled his eyes "I can barely take care of my four limbs, I don't think I would be able to care for six"</p>
<p>The builder snort-laughed "Ha! Yeah you're pretty dumb. Man you even act like him"</p>
<p>"Hey! I'm not- wait what now?" The redstoner double taked "Who do I act like?"</p>
<p>"I'm not allowed tell youuuu" the short hermit teased drunkenly "and you'll never knowwwwww"</p>
<p>"...why are you not allowed to tell me?" Mumbo leaned in with a cocked eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Because you can't know, you could never know" Grian chuckled.</p>
<p>The redstoner hesitated, it would be wrong of him to take advantage of Grian when he was drunk but at the same time this might be his only chance to know what's going on. He swallowed down his guilt and took the chance to prod all the information out that he could.</p>
<p>"Why can't I know?"</p>
<p>"Well I promised myself I wouldn't tell you, and Iskall didn't tell you and Iskall is smmmmart and if he is smart and didn't tell you then I'm not telling you because I'm smart too" the builder giggled childishly at his own ramble.</p>
<p>"Iskall knows...Iskall knows what?" The tall hermit prodded.</p>
<p>"Iskall knows about the thing I'm not telling you, dummy! The thing about you, the thing I won't tell you"</p>
<p>"Does he now? This "he" that you're referring to, how is he?"</p>
<p>"Oh we're playing a guessing game now? Welllll he's a nerd just like you who looks into everything I'm saying, and you know him better than anyone"</p>
<p>"Wait, <em>I</em> know him?"</p>
<p>"Heh, yea"</p>
<p>"Please elaborate"</p>
<p>"Woah there that word has too many syllables, I thought we were speaking English here"</p>
<p>The taller hermit groaned "it IS in english, elaborate means to-"</p>
<p>"I didn't ask" the builder interrupted "that's all the information you'll get out of me, I may be drunk but I'm still conscious which means I still have a thought process which means- I forgot what we were talking about hit me up with another shot"</p>
<p>Mumbo groaned, but still complied "you are impossible"</p>
<p>"Yeah right, <em>I'm impossible</em>" the winged man shot back.</p>
<p>"What's that even supposed to mean?"</p>
<p>"It means I have hit my drunk limit and I want to go to bed" Grian grumbled, rolling his head back to look at the roof "things no longer make sense and I'm ready to wake up tomorrow and forget this ever happened"</p>
<p>"Does Iskall even have a place for us to sleep?" The mustachioed man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.</p>
<p>"Even if he does, I'm already comfortable enough and you'll have to pull me off this couch over my dead body" Grian declared, resting his head on Mumbo's shoulder only for Mumbo to flinch. The drunk hermit of course noticed and took the opportunity to tease him "awh is Mumby Jumby that touch starved he flinches at contact? I shouldn't be surprised, you mega-pussy"</p>
<p>Mumbo was frozen for a good few seconds, <em>this is the first time he's kind-of said my name...</em> "what? N-no! I'm not touch starved! Iskall just had to bandage me a few hours ago and you keep prodding my sides when you try to startle me!" He huffed defensively "it was just unexpected"</p>
<p>"Well learn to expect the unexpected then, because you're a good pillow"</p>
<p>"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"</p>
<p>"At this point I'm so drunk I'm not even sure! So just stay still and let me sleep it off so I can wake up sober tomorrow"</p>
<p>"I uhh…" he was certainly a bit uncomfortable, but Grian's tone didn't leave much room for argument. <em>God, he's gonna kill me when he wakes up if I don't fight back… eh I'll survive, it can't be worse than yesterday's sleeping situation on the literal floor</em> "sure,it's not like you're giving me a choice here" he sighed in defeat.</p>
<p>Satisfied, the builder swung his legs over the other 70% of the couch and nestled his head comfortably on Mumbo's shoulder. He could feel heat coloring his face but gulped and decided to ignore it. The redstoner could feel the healthy wing's tension release as it opened over him, to the point where the feathers could almost tickle his face "Pleasure doing business darling" he quipped with a grin before silence engulfed the room. Until then Mumbo hadn't realized… he can't stand up to turn the lights off, boy tonight was gonna be a long night.</p>
<p>After what Mumbo estimated to be half an hour where he couldn't fall asleep because of his active buzzing mind Grian spoke up again, which took the redstoner who believed him to be asleep by surprise.</p>
<p>"Mumbo, I miss you" upon closer inspection, the builder was just sleep talking "Don't leave me again"</p>
<p>He didn't know what to respond, or if to respond at all, but before he had to someone approached the door. Iskall squinted at the light as he stepped in before adjusting to it and reading the room. He gave Mumbo a confused expression and nothing else as to not wake up the sleeping hermit. Mumbo silently beckoned the viking with a wave over.</p>
<p>"He insisted I be his pillow and now he's sleep talking, I'm concerned" the redstoner whispered.</p>
<p>"Heh, you guys are cute together" Iskall commented in his ear which earnt him an indignant scoff from Mumbo who's face was promptly dusted pink.</p>
<p>"He's a jerk! Not a chance" Mumbo whispered back.</p>
<p>"Well what's he saying in his sleep?"</p>
<p>"He said something about me leaving him and I'm not sure what to do"</p>
<p>Iskall had a very silent and somewhat guilty looking moment of realization Mumbo was unable to read. After a little bit of silence Iskall put back an obviously forced smile and quipped back "You're not helping your case buddy"</p>
<p>"Shut up!" He wanted to jab the viking with his elbow but he was trapped "I'll get you back for this"</p>
<p>"Alright whatever. I'm sure he'll be fine, he sleep talks all the time. I'll turn off the lights for ya, if you need me I'll be in my room" Iskall's smile turned more genuine.</p>
<p>"A-alright" the redstoner sighed as the light above them was turned off. There wasn't another peep from Grian for the rest of the night, just the sound of Mumbo's thoughts slowly fizzling out and being consumed by tiredness, hands unconsciously drifting to comb through the builder's hair.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The next morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The instant Grian woke up the first thing he felt was a hard shot of pain in his head. Serves him right in all honesty. He let out an annoyed groan as his eyes slowly drifted open, everything was blurred. He begrudgingly got up but bonked his head on something and recoiled. The sleepy haze started to clear as the builder was suddenly hyper-aware that the surface he was laying on was not couch, but rather another person. Out of pure instinct Grian yelped, scrambled back to the opposite end of the couch and shoved this mystery person off with all his sleepy might.</p>
<p>The rather wimpy yelp helped hungover Grian identify who it was "Oi What the fuck is wrong with you? Why the hell were you watching me sleep!"</p>
<p>Mumbo seemed more concerned with the fact he'd just been forcefully shoved off a couch "what is wrong with <em>you</em>?" The redstoner reciprocated saltily.</p>
<p>"I did the sensible thing of getting away from you, ya creep!" Grian snarled, shuffling to the other end of the couch and narrowing his eyes.</p>
<p>"First of all, you're the one who asked for it. Second, it appears that I'm not the only one who forgets I have a sprained ankle, cause you just shoved me to the floor!" He whined.</p>
<p>"Everybody knows rule 1 of dealing with a drunk person is to never listen to them! I have terrible ideas when I'm drunk" the shorter huffed.</p>
<p>"Well what was I supposed to do? Shove you off the couch? Oh wait!" Mumbo replied sarcastically.</p>
<p>"If ya hadn't been looming over me I wouldn't have instinctively reacted by getting you off of me"</p>
<p>"Liar! You would've done it anyways-"</p>
<p>"Oh my god will you two keep it down?" Iskall's voice cut through their argument, stepping through the doorway with a bad bedhead and bags under his eyes, silencing them both in an instant with a glare"if you're gonna wake me up every morning with bickering I'm tempted to throw you over the canopy into the wilderness to fend for yourselves" he warned somewhat calmly.</p>
<p>"But he started it-" Grian began before being cut off again.</p>
<p>"Grian I saw you last night, you didn't leave him many choices if he wanted to be polite." The viking explained, then turned to Mumbo "As for you, mustache man, you could've de-escalated the situation instead of fueling the fire. You're both in the wrong, and you're both gonna move past this if you want to continue to stay here. Make up so we can get breakfast"</p>
<p>"But-" they both started in unison.</p>
<p>"No more buts! You guys are adults so please stop acting like children" Iskall scolded.</p>
<p>Mumbo sighed "alright I'm sorry"</p>
<p>"I'm not" Grian huffed, but catching the 'take that back' glare from his viking friend he sighed "fine sorry for shoving you off the couch"</p>
<p>"Now hug" Iskall instructed.</p>
<p>They begrudgingly obliged, but it was a bit awkward since Mumbo was like half a foot taller than Grian. Once they broke apart the redstoner couldn't help a little snort-laugh "short"</p>
<p>Grain gave an offended scoff "I'm not short! You're just tall!" He snarled defensively, striding saltily past him and out the doorway.</p>
<p>"Careful" Iskall's eyes panned back up to the taller hermit, amused "he's very sensitive about his height"</p>
<p>"I know" Mumbo sighed "it's always funny to poke fun at it, he'll get over it"</p>
<p>Iskall raised an eyebrow "how did you know?"</p>
<p>"...it's a hunch" the redstoner mumbled, looking away.</p>
<p>"Uhm, alright" the viking didn't seem convinced but his friendly smile stayed on as he followed the shorter hermit out the room.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>The next few days were a mixed bag. Mumbo and Grian argued a lot, but things never got too serious and the taller hermit would usually respectfully back down when he felt like the conversation was pushing Grian's boundaries on what they are and are not allowed to talk about. It was mostly stuff the drunk builder had refused to elaborate on that Mumbo was dying to know, but he remained careful not to push his luck.</p>
<p>But when they weren't arguing the time they were spending in the canopy was genuinely nice. There weren't very many things to do at first glance but when they were forced to stay inside for weeks they found a way to entertain themselves. Every so often they'd find an abandoned box of uno cards or a videogame console that would entertain them for the day while Iskall left to do his work. They never asked what Iskall was busy doing but it was something about diorite so Mumbo could guess.</p>
<p>But it was fun, these people shared a comfortable amount of similarities with the counterparts Mumbo was used to. Still, the redstoner couldn't settle, the moment his ankle was healed he planned to get back home. He missed everyone else no matter how good of a time he was having with these new people. It did make him feel incredibly guilty to even considering staying there, he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing he left his friends behind.</p>
<p>"Hey! Mumbo!" Grian's fingers snapped in front of Mumbo's face to bring him out of his head "you've been staring at that table for 2 minutes straight now, live the moment mustache man" Grian huffed "I'm trying my best to be polite but there's only so long I'll wait for you to take your uno turn"</p>
<p>"Oh! Sorry" the redstoner distractedly put down any card in his deck that fit only for Grian to flinch.</p>
<p>"Wait no, the plus two-"</p>
<p>Mumbo had already let go of his card and Iskall's hand slammed down his last card "You guys are terrible at this! I win again, I am the uno champion" The viking grinned.</p>
<p>The builder groaned "you wouldn't have won if this massive spoon had his head out of the clouds"</p>
<p>"Hey! Am I not allowed to zone out?"</p>
<p>"Oh boy here we go again" Iskall rolled his eyes "Instead of starting another argument can we just start another game please?"</p>
<p>"No!" They snapped in unison.</p>
<p>"Y'know I'm starting to think you guys like fighting each other" the viking hermit snickered.</p>
<p>"What?" Grian stared daggers back at his friend, while Mumbo stayed silent, the conversation suddenly took a turn and Mumbo took a bit to process it.</p>
<p>"Well why are you still here?" Iskall countered calmly "your mansion isn't that long a walk away, what do you gain from staying with us?"</p>
<p>"I…" the builder seemed to be searching for a witty reply but came up with nothing, he instead narrowed his eyes "I don't have to answer that" he huffed.</p>
<p>"Proves my point, you just like arguing with Mumb- oh..." Iskall cut himself off as he realized what he was saying. He instantly looked guilty "wait Grian I'm sorry I didn't mean that-"</p>
<p>Grian looked like he'd been horribly betrayed right there and then "What- what is your fucking problem?" He snarled, his unwrapped wing fluffing up defensively as he got up and took a step back.</p>
<p>“Grian I didn’t-” But Iskall couldn’t finish before his shorter friend stormed out. He trailed a few steps behind Grian before stopping himself, it was obvious he needed space.</p>
<p>Mumbo stared after him, it seemed Iskall had forgotten the redstoner was in the room so he coughed to announce his presence before speaking “Wh-what just happened?” He murmured.</p>
<p>The swedish man flinched “I-... I went for the throat” He said simply with a sigh.</p>
<p>“Will he be okay?”</p>
<p>“He’ll be fine, it’s just gonna take time for him to forgive me. Hes gonna go sulk for a bit then he'll forget about it"</p>
<p>“...Can you please tell me why my name is such a hot topic?” Mumbo felt like he was pushing his luck but it was now or never.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid I can't" he murmured "that would just upset him more"</p>
<p>"He doesn't… he doesn't need to know"</p>
<p>Iskall hesitated, then shook his head "I can't do that for you, I won't go behind my friend's back and betray him further. I know this is probably mega confusing for you but you'll survive without knowing about it"</p>
<p>"Yeah okay I get it" the redstoner sighed "should I try to figure it out on my own or let it go?"</p>
<p>"For what it's worth, I don't think you should go after this, it's not worth your time. Time that could be well spent on figuring out how to get you out of here"</p>
<p>"Do you think-" Mumbo's stared at the doorway where Grian had left with a somber expression "do you think there's a way out at all?"</p>
<p>"I can't promise there is" the viking hermit admitted, following the taller's gaze "but I can promise if there isn't you are welcome to stay with me while you figure yourself out" he patted his back reassuringly.</p>
<p>"Thanks Iskall" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.</p>
<p>"Plus, the longer you stay here the more time you get to spend with him" although in any other context it would sound suggestive, this came out genuine "Believe it or not, Grian is working through some stuff and being with you is doing him more good than you realize"</p>
<p>"Is that so?" Mumbo snickered, his cheeks dusting a light pink.</p>
<p>"Well yeah, there's a reason he's been sticking to you like glue… well 'sticking' by his standards, he has a habit of not interacting with anyone for days on end either working or drinking" Iskall chuckled "if he's spending more than 5 minutes with you then make a wish"</p>
<p>"That sounds nothing like the Grian from my world then" Mumbo finally sat back down on the couch "All over the place, loud, and kind of shameless. Open a chest? Surprise, he's been waiting inside for hours just to scare you. Flying by the shopping district? Surprise trust fall, he uses you as a landing pad and it doesn't end well for either of you"</p>
<p>"Your Grian sounds nice, your whole world sounds nice” Iskall sat back down too “I can see why you’d want to go back. This place is truly terrible” he sighed breathily.</p>
<p>“Well- it’s not ALL bad”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“There’s you guys. I loved hanging out with you guys then and you’re just as fun now, just with a little more… well I don't know how to describe it, but it's familiar” Mumbo half-smiled.</p>
<p>“And what does it matter what you think of us? You’ll leave and it’ll be back to business as usual, back outside where the people are either sadists or ignorant” Iskall sighed, letting his palm hold up his cheek and looking out the window.</p>
<p>“But you still have Scar and Stress right? Grian told me they’re nice”</p>
<p>“They’re lovely, but they don’t consider me a friend. It’s not that they don’t like me, but they know that it’s best to keep distance from nice people otherwise it puts a target on your back”</p>
<p>“So you don’t consider Grian a friend then?”</p>
<p>“I do, but he can defend himself and we are both pretty respected in the community in the sense where nobody bothers messing with us. Scar and Stress aren’t very respected despite being nice” Iskall shuffled his helmet off and ran his hand through his brown hair “I’m telling you, this place is awful”</p>
<p>Mumbo didn't have a reassuring reply to that, because he felt like anything to come out of his mouth at the moment would do more bad than good. He just gave Iskall a tight hug. After a bit of hesitation, the hermit hugged back. Once they pulled away Iskall chuckled.</p>
<p>"You're too nice for this place, you deserve better" He murmured somberly.</p>
<p>Mumbo hesitated, then smiled "So are you, so is Grian"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Sunset</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Conversation with Iskall had fizzled and there was silence, until Mumbo took a deep breath and broke it.</p><p>"I'm gonna go find him"</p><p>Iskall didn't look surprised, instead he just let out a defeated sigh "I figured you'd say that, seems about right for you. I'd advise against it, are you sure about this?"</p><p>"I'm not sure but… I want to know if he's alright" Mumbo's eyes sparkled with determination.</p><p>"Mumbo I promise you he's alright, this isn't very rare for him. He storms out, sulks for a bit then comes back and pretends it never happened" the viking hermit waved his hand dismissively, staring off at the doorway the shorter hermit had left from.</p><p>"I know, that's what my Grian does too, but he always appreciates company when he's down" Mumbo murmured with a half grin, following Iskall's gaze "at least I hope so, otherwise he's been pretending to not mind when I come over to comfort him, which is unlikely because he's pants at acting"</p><p>"Alright, you do you, if it helps he always sulks on one of the far branches of the tree… which Im now noticing how worrying that is considering this time if he falls he can't fly down safely. Just please be careful, don't die because blood is hard to clean off the roots" Iskall chuckled jokingly.</p><p>"The fact that he chooses such a concerning place to sulk just gives me more reason to go look for him" the redstoner sighed "If anything goes wrong we'll scream to let you know we are about to die" he murmured.</p><p>"Don't say that, you'll jinx it" the other rolled his eyes, but before Mumbo could head out Iskall placed his hand on the redstoner's shoulder to stop him and give him a more serious look "But for real, please be safe"</p><p>Mumbo ran his hand through his hair "I'll do my best I guess"</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>Ah, right, sprained ankle</em>
</p><p>Yeah, that was a slight oversight. Mumbo had underestimated how impossibly difficult it was to tread the swaying branches on the top of the canopy when he relied on a crutch for support. He mostly took his time and only walked the safest routes and thickest branches, not having enough bravery to step on the thinner ones and just in general doing his best to not fall off and die. He scouted from the thicker branches until he found who he was looking for. Grian was sitting on a very thin branch looking down at the forest, with a cigar… on a tree… on a very flammable tree. The genius of this man was truly unparalleled.</p><p>The redstoner took a few seconds to gather his nerves and start very slowly making his way to the branch the shorter hermit was sitting on. Grian didn't seem to notice Mumbo at all so Mumbo called out to him so his arrival wouldn't be a surprise in this incredibly unstable environment. It came out sort of wimpy and cowardly but felt comfortable cutting himself some slack considering the circumstances.</p><p>"Grian!"</p><p>No response, not even a twitch. He must've already known he was here then, just not cared. Mumbo very carefully walked towards him, every step was carefully planned for at least 20 seconds before being taken. Before he knew it he was a few meters behind Grian, he called again "G-Grian? Th-This doesn't seem very s-safe…" Mumbo's voice wobbled.</p><p>"Discovery of the century, Einstein" Grian took the cigarette out of his mouth to speak but didn't turn to look at him. The only physical response from the builder was a slightly tighter grip on the oak branch that held him up. </p><p>"You're not mad at me are you?" Mumbo scrambled to sit down as a gust of wind nearly knocked him off of his feet, placing the crutch next to him.</p><p>"I'm not, I just needed space and then you came along" he grumbled, finally giving Mumbo a stinging side glance.</p><p>"Well I'm sorry, I thought you could use some company" no response. After a few seconds of silence Mumbo spoke again "I didn't know you smoked"</p><p>"Did your Grian not smoke?" The builder rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Nope, much less smoke on top of a very flammable tree" the taller hermit huffed judgmentally.</p><p>"Oh please, I've done this before and nothing happens. It'll be fine" He shrugged.</p><p>"But what if you fall? What wings are gonna fly you to safety?"</p><p>"Just because I shouldn't use them doesn't mean that I can't" his gaze finally met Mumbo's, then it narrowed and shifted back to the view ahead of them, overlooking the entire jungle and multiple buildings highlighted on the horizon. Most of which he recognized but there were some completely unfamiliar to him.</p><p>"Says the guy constantly complaining about how much it hurts to move his wings, are you sure we're safe?"</p><p>"When did I ever say we were safe?" Grian chuckled, amused "the reason I come here is because it's the least safe place to rest, and partly for the pretty view"</p><p>Mumbo hesitated, then spoke again "But- why?"</p><p>"What? You can't deny the view is pretty"</p><p>"No I mean why do you like it here if you know how unsafe it is?"</p><p>"Because… because…" Grian trailed off before the sentence even started "Y'know what I'm not sure. Maybe it's the adrenaline that comes with knowing the branch could snap any second, but it doesn't. We're still alive at the moment and that's all that really matters"</p><p>"And what if it does snap? What would we do then?" Mumbo could barely find his voice.</p><p>"Then we'll barely have time to think about it, so I can just pretend it will never snap at all" he ran his fingers over the old oak branch "I don't see the point in worrying about it, it'll just be a snap, like ten seconds of panic and then splat, I don't think it's worth being concerned about ten seconds"</p><p>There was another long silence between the two of them, Mumbo let his friend's words linger in his mind as he stared at the view. He wasn't right but he wasn't wrong either. The taller hermit shuffled into a more comfortable position only to accidentally knock over his crutch. He watched it fall the long way down, it took a couple of seconds to hear its collision with the ground. Mumbo sighed and held on tighter to the tree than before. He turned to Grian to ask if he could be helped back to the canopy but the short builder's breath hitched before he could say anything.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Mumbo raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"What's wrong is that you appear to be using my wing as an unconscious fidget toy. It has nerves y'know, it's for flying, not a stress ball" he grumbled.</p><p>"Oh!" He was right, his hand has been unconsciously twiddling with the ends of Grian's feathers which were now all ruffled "I'm sorry!" Mumbo quickly drew his hand back, both their faces dusted pink.</p><p>"It's fine, it's fine. In case you were gonna ask, I will indeed help you get back, I don't have much of a choice since you're in the way but consider it a gift from the kindness of my heart" he said dismissively, as if he'd read Mumbo's mind. "Did you fidget with other Grian's wings too?" He said jokingly.</p><p>"It was a bad habit of mine when I was stressed" Mumbo admitted, catching the shorter hermit by surprise "but he didn't really mind"</p><p>"Oh… does that mean you're stressed right now?" He murmured, smoothing the feathers out carefully.</p><p>"Not necessarily, you've just given me a lot to think about and it also happened when my mind was busy and numbed everything around me" Mumbo man sighed, combing through his slick hair with his fingers.</p><p>"Well in case your mind numbed it out, you need a new crutch" he snickered, finally taking another puff of the cigar "or did you numb me out too? D'ya want me to repeat?" The builder teased.</p><p>"I don't think I have the mind power to numb that out" Mumbo sighed, looking down at the crutch that was now so far below them. Suddenly after Grian's words, looking down wasn't as scary. "and I certainly can't numb you out, you're way too loud"</p><p>"Hey now, you came to me, I didn't sit here to be insulted" he nudged Mumbo's side with his elbow playfully, a smirk plastered on his face and gently resting on the redstoner's shoulder.</p><p>"You should've known better, you can't get rid of me that easily" Mumbo chuckled "are you still mad at Iskall?"</p><p>"I was never really mad at him, I overreacted and needed some air. I need to stop being such a pussy when it comes to stuff like this, learn how to be less sensitive"</p><p>"Well if it made you uncomfortable then it wasn't an overreaction. It's fair enough if he pushed your limits"</p><p>"Yeah maybe for anybody else, but Iskall doesn't deserve that. He's been nothing but nice and I've just been an asshole" the sun seemed to be setting in front of them, very slowly it turned majestic purples and oranges.</p><p>"You have" Mumbo admitted "but no matter how much of an a...a hole you are I'll still be here for you"</p><p>Grian finally looked back up at Mumbo, their eyes met and the builder's were clouded with confusion and a little guilt "why?"</p><p>"Because I'm not like everyone else you've met here, I don't have ulterior motives or plan to backstab you" Mumbo smiled reassuringly.</p><p>"But you barely even know me" his wings drooped.</p><p>"I know you better than you-"</p><p>"No, Mumbo, you don't. I'm not your Grian, stop pretending I am. If you knew what I've done then perhaps you'd start seeing me for who I am" Grian murmured somberly "Stop comparing him to me, we're nothing alike. He'd probably be offended"</p><p>"...well you could tell me what you've done to convince yourself you're a bad person? Because you seem nice enough to me. I enjoy hanging out with you a lot" The redstoner gently wrapped his arm around the winged hermit's shoulder but he quietly pulled away.</p><p>"No, I like our relationship as it is. I don't want to muddy it up. Maybe I'll tell you someday but no, just, no"</p><p>Mumbo sighed "that's… fair enough" by then the sun had already set over the horizon and the night had taken its place. Stars soon twinkled over their heads as the redstoner drew a deep breath "I'm ready to go back inside"</p><p>"Yeah alright" they both moved very carefully as they shifted onto their feet. Using Grian as support they slowly made their way to the center of the tree to access the home inside. Once they got to the base of the staircase Grian stopped "I'm gonna stay outside for a while, you can make it down the stairs on your own" he murmured.</p><p>"Mkay, it was nice talking to you-" after a beat of hesitation Grian cut him off by wrapping him into a hug.</p><p>"Thanks… for coming to comfort me and risking almost dying, don't do that again" the builder huffed.</p><p>It took a bit for Mumbo to finally return the hug "you can't tell me what to do" the redstoner snickered.</p><p>They broke apart and Grian turned back towards the other branches of the tree "See you later, don't forget to ask Iskall for another crutch" he said dismissively as he not-so-carefully walked back to his spot.</p><p>"See you later" his quiet goodbye probably wasn't heard by the shorter hermit, who was already out of earshot.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. We gotta go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Being able to place his foot on the ground was incredibly liberating. Mumbo could finally walk! This excitement was short lived however when Grian's energetic demands cut right through his thoughts.</p><p>"That's great and everything but could you please take my bandages off too? My thing is more important" Grian snapped half-jokingly, his other wing twitching inpatiently.</p><p>"Okay sorry" Iskall chuckled, moving behind Grian and gently unwrapping the bandages around his wing. Before they were fully removed the pale purple wing was already stretching open, the bandages fell gently to the floor.</p><p>"Ooooh god that feels good" Grian combed through his majestic yet ruffled wing with his fingers, then jumped off the patients bed "I need to feel the sky on my face right now"</p><p>"Alright then, go ahead and we can watch... at a safe distance" Mumbo was already having flashbacks to the last time Grian had flown, hesitant to follow the builder outside "Y'know perhaps letting him fly isn't the best idea" he whispered to Iskall.</p><p>"Let him have his fun, flying is a stress reliever for him" the viking hermit replied calmly as they both followed him out the doorway only to look up and see he was already halfway up the base as he was headed towards the top of the canopy. Iskall and Mumbo had to take the massive staircase up.</p><p>"If you say so" Mumbo sighed "as long as he comes nowhere near me I guess it's fine"</p><p>"Oh come on, even if he did what's the worst that could happen?"</p><p>"The worst that could happen is that he drops me again, I don't fancy spending any more time in crutches" he said grumpily, following his friend up the stairs they needed to take to even get to the top of the canopy.</p><p>"You'll be fine" by the time they'd finally gotten to the top of the canopy Grian was already having the time of his life. Flying skillfully at high speeds threading in between tight squeezes in the branches and doing loop-de-loops. Despite this Grian being very different than the one in Mumbo's world he still had the same playful childish giggly laugh. From their perspective it looked like every turn was surely going to end in him smashing into a branch but he kept weaving expertly through the tree. It wasn't until Iskall snapped his fingers in front of his face that he realized "Admiring the view? You're staring" the brown haired hermit teased.</p><p>"W-well" his brain processed a defense mechanism as his face colored in the realization he'd been caught "how can I not? He's good at what he does"</p><p>Iskall rolled his eyes "you're hopeless"</p><p>"Shut up! He's still a jerk y'know!" A few sentences in Mumbo's defenses were already wearing thin "He's just good at flying, that's all" he huffed.</p><p>"Whatever you say" just as the argument settled Grian skidded to a grinding halt on the platform they were standing on, his hair ruffled by the wind and full of leaves and sticks.</p><p>"God, I'd forgotten how good it felt to fly!" Caught up in excitement Grian seemed to drop the tough guy facade for the minute, and it was replaced with childish enthusiasm. Those sparkles in his eyes slowly faded as the energy subsided, but his breaths remained quick as he tried to catch up with his lungs.</p><p>"Must've been hard to be earth-bound for an extended amount of time for you huh" Iskall chuckled, casually picking bits of sticks and leaves out of his friend's hair.</p><p>"You can't imagine" he huffed, rubbing the back of his neck "Sorry I just got caught up in the moment"</p><p>"It's fine, little gremlin" the viking hermit playfully ruffled his hair but it didn't really make a difference "As a warning, next time you do that we won't catch you once you fly into one of my branches and get a concussion"</p><p>"Don't call me a gremlin, I'm not a child" he swatted Iskall's hand away half-heartedly.</p><p>"Well, now that we're all healed up, where are we gonna go?" Mumbo spoke up.</p><p>There was a silence between all three hermits before Grian finally said something "Iskall, I'm sorry but he's your problem now" he said quickly and tried to scramble off the platform. Emphasis on <em>tried</em>, because Iskall instantly read his friend like a book and held on tightly to his silky purple cape so when he tried to fly off he was instantly yanked back to the ground "-oof"</p><p>"You're not going anywhere, I'm not his babysitter, he came with you" Iskall said calmly, raising an eyebrow "you can't just drop him off here and leave"</p><p>Mumbo looked between them worriedly "Guys am I that much of a problem-"</p><p>"What am I supposed to do about him? I don't know how to help him! I brought him to you for a reason" Grian snapped, grumpily getting back to his feet.</p><p>"You think I know what to do with him? Because I know that YOU know how to solve this, I'm not an idiot Grian, don't think I don't remember" the viking's tone became a bit more impatient, not letting go of Grian's cape as he tried to escape again but was yanked back down again.</p><p>"Guys-"</p><p>"Oh hell no! I'm not going there, X will kill me once he lays eyes on me!" He hissed, once he was back on the floor he tugged at his cape but Iskall wouldn't budge.</p><p>"He won't kill you, he's never killed anyone... yet" the bearded hermit pressed.</p><p>"Guys what are we-"</p><p>"Yes he will! You know how much he absolutely despises me! You're sending me on a suicide mission, you know what's gonna happen if I set foot in his base. Look Iskall, I know you want me to make amends with him but in this situation making amends is going to get me and Mumb- him killed, just let it go!"</p><p>"Well would you prefer to live with your guilt or die knowing you tried? What else would you want to do?"</p><p>"GUYS!"</p><p>"What?!" The arguing hermits snapped in unison.</p><p>"What the heck are you even talking about?" Mumbo cried, stepping in between the two to break them apart</p><p>"This asshole wants to send me on a suicide mission to take you to X while removing himself from the equation, he keeps pretending it's my problem when it's really not!" Grian snarled.</p><p>"He's trying to dump responsibility on me when it would do him better to just suck it up and get it over with!" Iskall replied.</p><p>"Can't we all just compromise and go together?" Mumbo suggested awkwardly.</p><p>"No!" The two spat in unison again.</p><p>"Well why not?"</p><p>"Because I don't want to spend any more time with this maniac who kept me tied to the ground for weeks and now is trying to get me killed" the short builder hissed.</p><p>"Because I don't want to have anything to do with this, this whole mess is his problem, not mine" Iskall murmured.</p><p>"Well I don't see why we can't compromise. Grian gets his wish of me being Iskall's problem and Iskall gets his wish of getting Grian to-I assume you want him to talk to X but I'm not sure- so we can all go together!" The redstoner proposed.</p><p>"I don't want it to be Iskall's problem, I just don't want it to be mine!" Grian did one last escape attempt before presumably giving up.</p><p>"Neither do I! This is supposed to be your problem and you know exactly why, so will you stop being so stubborn? I'm trying to help you get over yourself"</p><p>"Alright guys I'm sure if we calm down we could-"</p><p>"Get over myself? GET OVER MYSELF? How fucking dare you! You know very well that's not why I don't want to take him there, open your eyes, you insensitive prick!" Grian spat.</p><p>"Your reasons are selfish and immature, you know what the morally correct decision is and yet decide not to take it" Iskall still somehow maintained a kind-of calm yet impatient tone.</p><p>"Oh so not wanting to die is selfish and immature now? How's this for selfish and immature?" Without further warning pulled out his pocket knife, lunged behind Iskall and held it up to his neck "go on then, call me selfish one more time, I dare you"</p><p>Iskall sighed and silently held his hands up in surrender but Mumbo was having none of it "You two cut it out! Stop acting like children and at least pretend that you want to resolve things peacefully, you're not animals and brute force won't get us anywhere" the redstoner snapped with a surprising amount of confidence he didn't even know he had, especially confronting someone with a knife.</p><p>Grian seemed to consider something, hesitate, then wearily lower the knife, but still held it tightly in his hand.</p><p>"Grian drop it, you don't need knives in peaceful arguments" Mumbo reminded him.</p><p>He grumbled something under his breath then begrudgingly stabbed the knife onto the wooden floor then stood back up. "Are you happy now? No knife"</p><p>"Not quite satisfied but it's better when the person you're arguing with isn't armed" Mumbo sighed "alright now, both of you please refrain from screaming while I talk"</p><p>"Yes yes we get it, we're not children" Grian grumbled.</p><p>Debatable… "So, Grian, do you remember when we first met?" Mumbo started. He heard Iskall suck in air through his teeth awkwardly but paid no mind. Grian hesitantly nodded.</p><p>"Yes, you broke into my mansion and I thought you were a homeless guy who had gotten into my living room to interrupt my evening wine"</p><p>"And do you remember why I broke into your mansion?"</p><p>"I think you were being chased by False, right? And then like the kind hearted soul I was I got you out of there"</p><p>"And do you remember why exactly you helped me out of there, because we both know it wasn't out of the kindness of your soul" Mumbo was trying really hard to keep a serious face but it was proving hard when Grian spoke about himself in that way.</p><p>There was another beat of hesitation, then realization "Goddammit" Mumbo could pretty much read the thoughts in his friends mind right know, the spark of panic in his eyes gave him away "are you just gonna hold that over my head forever?"</p><p>
  <em>Im sorry Grian but if blackmailing you with Poultry Man is what I have to do to get you to collaborate then so be it.</em>
</p><p>"Wait what the heck are you two talking about?" Iskall murmured but got no answer.</p><p>"So Grian, do you wanna take me to X now?" Mumbo felt like he deserved the smug smile he gave, for his big brain 300 IQ play.</p><p>Grian looked at the floor with a scowl "Fine, you don't play nice do you? you leave me no choice"</p><p>"I'm the one who doesn't play nice? Coming from Mr Hold-people-at-knifepoint?" The redstoner replied only half-joking.</p><p>"Fine, you got me, but it's not fair if you can't convince him too" the builder huffed, jabbing a finger onto Iskall's arm.</p><p>"Don't involve me in this! As I said, this is really not my business" Iskall replied in a surprisingly calm tone.</p><p>Despite having "convinced" Grian relatively easily Mumbo genuinely couldn't think of an argument. He desperately wanted Iskall to come with but didn't know how to approach this "He's right" The Redstoner sighed at last "It's none his business, I won't force him to come"</p><p>"Wait what? Then why are you forcing me to come?" Grian hissed.</p><p>"Because you clearly need it, I've figured you out. There's probably something you need to talk out with X and I need to talk to him too, two birds with one stone" Mumbo replied "Iskall isn't involved, all he did was help us until we could actually get there"</p><p>Iskall nodded "finally a stable argument" he murmured under his breath "I'm not coming. You are welcome to take supplies and even crash here for as many nights as you want but I won't be coming with you"</p><p>Mumbo nodded "thanks for the offer but we're leaving tonight"</p><p>The short builder opened his mouth to complain, hesitated, then closed it again. Grian's shoulders shrunk a bit with a sigh.</p><p>"Alright then, are you gonna need supplies?" The viking hermit shot a sympathetic glance at the short builder but didn't comment on it.</p><p>"Yeah, we're gonna need food and stuff" Mumbo rubbed the back of his neck, the confidence that had surged in the moment slowly ebbed away.</p><p>Iskall gave the shorter hermit another side glance before speaking "why don't you go get it? There's food downstairs in the chest marked with the hay mini-block in the storage area"</p><p>"Err… okay?" <em>weird</em> Mumbo thought as he turned around and went downstairs. His fingers traced the marks on the wood of the tree as he went down. The redstoner picked up a shulker box from Iskall's huge pile and stocked it full of golden carrots. Deciding hauling the box up the stairs just to communicate he was done wouldn't be very smart he left it at the base of the stairs and started going back up. Mumbo however did not expect what he saw once back up.</p><p>Iskall was hugging Grian tightly, but Grian was not returning it. They didn't seem to notice Mumbo since their conversation stayed within his earshot.</p><p>"Why are you making me do this? You know it's the last place I want to be" Grian's voice was barely a whimper.</p><p>"I know, and I'm sorry, but this is your chance to get this massive weight off of your shoulders and make amends. It'll do you more good than bad, you have to trust me" Iskall whispered soothingly "and if it doesn't work you can always come back here and I'll greet you with open arms"</p><p>There was a beat of hesitation, Grian nodded then finally returned the hug "you better be right about this" he murmured, eventually breaking off and wiping what was presumably tears from his face, but Mumbo wasn't close enough to know for sure.</p><p>The redstoner coughed to make his presence known, at which point both the other hermits turned to look at him like they were expecting it.</p><p>After a few beats of silence Grian finally spoke up confidently "We are leaving now"</p><p>This took both Iskall and Mumbo by surprise "y-you mean like <em>now</em> now?" Mumbo murmured.</p><p>"Yep" the builder walked past them both and started down the stairs "now, before I can change my mind"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A long walk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Remind me again why we are walking when I have wings?" Grian grumbled, kicking over rocks in the side of the grassy narrow pathway of the jungle grumpily.</p>
<p>"We are walking because I'd sooner cartwheel all the way there than let you fly me around again" Mumbo replied, giving the shulker box full of carrots attached to his back another firm tug.</p>
<p>"Awh come on, I wouldn't drop you twice!... probably… Look can we please just fly there? I've been walking everywhere for way too long" He groaned, trailing a few meters behind the redstoner.</p>
<p>"You're not being very convincing, like at all" Mumbo huffed stubbornly "It's not easy for me either y'know? I miss my elytra and firework rockets"</p>
<p>"Psht, whatever, you're too heavy to fly around long distances anyways" the builder teased, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Mumbo gave an exaggerated offended scoff "that's… the first and least discrete way someone has called me fat"</p>
<p>"Well of course nobody would call you fat, someone could look at you wrong and you'd snap in half" he chuckled.</p>
<p>"Watch your mouth, little gremlin, if it weren't for your wings you wouldn't be able to reach a kitchen tabletop" the raven haired man replied, glancing at him over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Hey I'm not THAT short! Actually, I'm not short period, you're just tall compared to me. Since I'm always next to you everyone just makes jokes at my expense, not fair in the slightest"</p>
<p>"Heh, yeah… wait since you're always-" Mumbo went silent as he heard a rustle in the bush ahead of them. Both hermits fell still, as if a tense switch was flipped and now suddenly every move was alert. Grian seemed to instinctively push Mumbo behind him and take out his glowing diamond sword, wearily glaring at the source of the noise.</p>
<p>"Whoever you are, stop being a pussy and come out of the bush" the blonde growled, only for the bush to rustle then a familiar body to slip out in front of them with a grin. Her golden hair and goggles (which for a change she was actually wearing) gave Mumbo an immediate idea of who she was.</p>
<p>"Now now, showboy, put the sword down" False said with an intimidating amount of composure compared to their last encounter "We wouldn't want to cause a ruckus"</p>
<p>"Oh hell no, you back the fuck off" Grian snarled, stepping backwards and pushing Mumbo back with his wings protectively. The tension was so thick Mumbo could almost feel it pressing on his back "We don't want trouble, if you leave us alone we'll be on our way"</p>
<p>"Leaving so soon? Come on Grian it's been so long since we talked, who's your friend?"<em>why is she being friendly? She tried to kill me!</em> Mumbo thought as False looked over Grian's shoulder to get a good look "oh! Its the mustache kid who broke into your base right? Sorry I left a bad first impression, what's your name bud?"</p>
<p>"Uhh… Mu-"</p>
<p>The builder covered Mumbo's mouth with his hand before he could finish without taking his eyes off of the hostile hermit "Nunya business False. I'd love to sit here and verbally bombard you for leaving this hobo at my door because it cost me a lot of trouble and you've made my month ten times more complicated than it needed to be, but we have places to go"</p>
<p>Mumbo lowered Grian's hand grumpily "I thought we were past the hobo nickname" he huffed, but was promptly ignored by the others.</p>
<p>"Hey I didn't force him in, if he hadn't been so persistent you wouldn't have this problem. I was just doing my job, and I'm glad I get another chance to finish it off" she grinned, circling around the two.</p>
<p>"Yeah, and apparently your job is to be an insufferable asshole" Grian snarled, following her pace so she would never be facing Mumbo directly.</p>
<p>"Look, don't make this harder than it needs to be G. Let me help you with your hobo problem and then you get to go home unscathed, it's a win-win for both of us. I get my paycheck and you're hobo-free"</p>
<p>The builder seemed to hesitate, as if he was considering "Grian you're not actually considering this are you?" Mumbo whispered, his legs starting to tremble.</p>
<p>Mmbo once again was ignored "is there really no way to get you to fuck off without having to fight?" Grian murmured, narrowing his eyes "Is your job really that worth it? Can't you just let this one go?</p>
<p>"You know how much I take my job with pride, Grian, and I'm not going to fail a mission because you for some reason decided to stand in my way" she replied calmly.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to tell you why I'm not handing this hobo over to you?" The builder hissed, gripping his sword tigher.</p>
<p>"Again with the hobo thing, guys I had a base-"</p>
<p>"I'd love to know why" False replied "but make it like a quick explanation, we haven't got all day"</p>
<p>Grian turned to the redstoner "do you not want us to call you hobo? Fine then, tell her your name" he snarled.</p>
<p>"Uhm" they were both staring at him expectantly. <em>What is even going on? It feels like they're having an entirely different argument than the one I'm hearing</em>"My name is Mumbo" he muttered quietly, sheepishly shuffling back behind Grian.</p>
<p>False's eyes went round with surprise. No malice anymore, just genuine surprise. She let her guard down "oh…"</p>
<p>"Yeah thats fucking right, killing him isn't part of your job. Leave or you'll be walking away with broken legs and no paycheck" Grian growled, his wings fluffing up presumably to make himself look bigger.</p>
<p>"Sheesh okay okay, I'll go. How the hell was I supposed to know?" She grumbled under her breath. And just like that she left right back though the bushes, leaving Mumbo very confused and Grian still very angry looking.</p>
<p>"What just- why did she- how did you-?" Mumbo wasn't able to form a complete sentence and instead his words came out a jumbled mess. He stumbled backwards but caught himself on a tree as to not fall to the floor.</p>
<p>"Save it, you know you won't get anything from me even if you ask" the short builder growled, with a wing twitch as his feathers settled down. He grudgingly offered his hand to help the taller hermit up.</p>
<p>"But…" Mumbo opened his mouth to complain but closed it again then took the builder's hand and hoisted himself up "can I at least get one question?"</p>
<p>Grian was already back to walking down the narrow path, visibly in a way worse mood "you get one"</p>
<p>He had to quicken his pace to match the builder's, and took his time to pick his words carefully "Why… why did she let us go?"</p>
<p>Grian sighed "can't answer that"</p>
<p>"Well why not?"</p>
<p>"You already wasted your one question, stop asking things or I'll finish her job" he threatened.</p>
<p>"Woah, okay sorry… can I get one question answered at least? Please?" Mumbo pushed his luck.</p>
<p>"Fine, but if it's too personal then you don't get to talk the rest of the way there"</p>
<p>Mumbo of course ignored that warning "Is this whole name thing triggering for you?" His voice was gentler than before, as if he'd turned serious too.</p>
<p>"Yes, very VERY much so. Are you happy now?" The builder growled "no more questions"</p>
<p>"Alright then, I won't bring it up again… I wasn't aware it was a sour topic for you" The taller hermit sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.</p>
<p>Grian's expression softened a little "It's- Whatever" he sighed "If I stopped being such a pussy in regards to it perhaps I would've done this sooner"</p>
<p><em>Mumbo don't ask questions he just said you shouldn't ask questions this is a bad idea do not ask that question-</em> "would've done what sooner?"</p>
<p>"Gone to X and made amends" he replied vaugely, narrowing his blue eyes at the horizon.</p>
<p>"Hey if there's something bothering you then you're not a coward to be triggered by it"  Mumbo said with a reassuring smile that went presumably unseen by the builder "everyone has their own baggage and their own triggers, and it's not wrong to have them"</p>
<p>"Well then clearly we have very different opinions on that" Grian replied silently "all triggers do is weigh me down"</p>
<p>"Well… maybe they do, but they remind you of past experiences and help you grow as a person once you get past them. And once you do get past them it feels great, because you've overcome something that previously seemed like the end of the world" there was an empty silence after that, only filled by the crinkling leaves under their feet and the wind rustling the trees above their head.</p>
<p>It remained like that for pretty much the rest of the day. Silent amble through the forest, occasionally having to huddle closer in the denser parts of the jungle. Once the sun started to set, tainting the sky beautiful shades of orange and purple, they decided to settle down for the night. They found a cave similar to the one they spent their first night in, the floor was just a little rockier but it would do. Without a word they started to gather resources for a fire, but once Mumbo came back with a bunch of firewood he almost tripped over Grian, who was laying on the grass a few meters outside of the cave gazing at the stars. The redstoner quickly dropped off his wood inside then looked back over.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?" Mumbo murmured.</p>
<p>"Stargazing" Grian replied simply, not batting an eye.</p>
<p>There was a beat of hesitation as Mumbo looked back inside the cave, then turned back and spoke "May I join you?"</p>
<p>The builder just nodded wordlessly. At that, Mumbo carefully laid down besides him and looked up at the sky. The sparkling stars far above their heads were unobstructed by any clouds, and there wasn't and big light sources for miles so the sky was pretty clear. It was a full moon tonight, glowing innocently in the dark sky and lightly illuminating the whole forest. His thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle from Grian besides him.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"I just made up a constellation in the shape of a penis" the builder snickered silently.</p>
<p>"Gosh you really are a child, that's something I'd expect from a kindergartner" Mumbo couldn't help a chuckle too though.</p>
<p>"Awh come on, you're smiling too"</p>
<p>"That doesn't mean it's funny, that just means-"</p>
<p>"Means it's ridiculous, I know" the shorter hermit interrupted.</p>
<p>"How'd you know that's what I was gonna say?"</p>
<p>"...gut feeling"</p>
<p>Another silence settled on the two hermits, this one more comfortable than the last. Mumbo seriously did not want to get up, he felt at peace right then. It was nice, and ever since he got here he hadn't gotten nice. The silence was short lived though, by Grian's comment as if he'd read Mumbo's mind.</p>
<p>"Can we sleep here? I don't wanna get up, its too much work"</p>
<p>"I agree, the night is warm enough anyways a fire is unnecessary" no it wasn't, Mumbo was just making excuses.</p>
<p>"I beg to differ, but it's not like we're going to freeze to death either. We'll be fine staying here"</p>
<p>"Yeah… yeah ok" and those were the last words spoken before Mumbo was able to drift into sleep, subconsciously huddling closer to the builder for warmth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(FIY to clarify False's job is being a mercenary who weeds out the weak newbies who have just joined the server, she just calls them "pests" because I think its funny)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Not quite there</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day Mumbo woke up but didn't really feel like opening his eyes, the fatigue kept his eyes tight shut. His thoughts were drowsy enough to blur away any common sense. The air around him was pretty cold yet his body was somehow relatively warm, even with sunlight shining down on his face… why is there sunlight on his face? Was he not in the cave? The redstoner's eyes hazily opened to be met with a face full of grass. He tried to raise an arm to move the obstructing grass from his view but it appeared to be pinned the his side… odd. He shuffled his other arm from under him and moved the grass out of his face, he way laying a few meters away from the entrance of the cave they were supposed to sleep in.</p><p>"Wh-" realization cut him off as the thing holding his arm down shuffled closer into a more comfortable position. It was a person, and Mumbo was 99.9% sure who it was now. So that's why he wasn't as cold as the environment. Now that he was aware of what was going on he could feel the shorter hermit's breath on his neck, his arms holding Mumbo's waist tightly like a teddy bear. Upon this realization the taller hermit's face flooded with color, how was he supposed to get out of this one? He didn't wanna wake Grian up but if the builder woke up and saw this he'd get mad again. The redstoner ever so slowly started to pull away, but Grian wouldn't budge, instead holding him tighter than before.</p><p>Still determined to make it out successfully he began carefully pulling his arm out of the shorter hermit's grasp and it worked surprisingly well, now he could use both arms. He slowly untied Grian's arms from his waist, and stopped completely at any sign of sleepy complaint like a weird game of red light green light. Somehow it worked! Now all he had to do was pull himself up and- before he could finish his thought a hand caught hold of his jacket and yanked him back down. Mumbo caught a very suppressed giggle from the prankster and right away understood what was going on.</p><p>"You're awake aren't you?" Mumbo's voice cracked with embarrassment.</p><p>"...maybe" his voice did sound just as sleepy as Mumbo's so he could assume the builder hadn't kept the cherade for that long.</p><p>Mumbo sat up with narrowed eyes "You're so mean! Here I was trying to be nice and not wake you up"</p><p>Grian just looked like he was still trying very hard to suppress laughter "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I got curious as to what you'd do and it was totally worth it"</p><p>"Not funny!" Mumbo got to his feet and dusted his suit off.</p><p>"Awh come on, it was a little bit funny, especially the way you startle so easily by the smallest gestures-"</p><p>"Alright that's enough from you, get up" The taller hermit cut in, embarrassment still colored his face "We have places to be"</p><p>"fffffffffffffine" The builder huffed, sitting up and picking out blades of grass that got stuck between his feathers "you're no fun"</p><p>Mumbo picked up their food box and strapped it to his back just like yesterday, then padded back around to offer Grian a hand in getting up. Instead of taking it the shorter hermit got up himself, his wings stretched into a strong beat that brought him over the tree line so that he could see where they were going. Before Mumbo could say anything Grian landed neatly back into the spot he'd slept on and pointed.</p><p>"That way" the builder said confidently.</p><p>"If you say so" it was in these moments where Mumbo had to just trust Grian on things like these when he really missed his elytra to check for himself. They got going yet again, Mumbo was pretty much at Grian's guiding mercy since this was nowhere near the jungle he was used to.</p><p>The large gaps of silence in the day were pretty comfortable for them, listening to the birds chirping above their heads and breathing in the fresh air while walking side by side. Occasionally they would make small talk, Mumbo enjoyed finding out more about this Grian and how different he was to the one he was familiar with. For example the builder confessed he doesn’t often leave the house since he never had reasons to. That was probably the reason why Iskall was so eager and welcoming, he hadn’t seen his friend in ages. Mumbo would also open up, mostly telling Grian stories of times they spent together in his world, like the golfing course or the hermit challenges. Every time Mumbo brought up an anecdote of the sort Grian would grimace or bite his lip but never comment.</p><p>Surely enough his previous concerns seemed to be perfectly justified, half a day of walking culminated into something that did not look like X's base and instead looked suspiciously like a bar. That's because that was exactly what it was.</p><p>"Grian please tell me this isn't a pitstop" The taller hermit huffed "we are not stopping for a drink"</p><p>"Oh don't worry, it's not just a bar… it's also a casino that also has a bar, I don't see the why we shouldn't-"</p><p>"I won't allow you to get drunk and blow all your money on the casino, is this even on the way to X's place?" Mumbo asked, narrowing his eyes judgementally.</p><p>"X's place? Oh right it's uhm…"</p><p>"Please don't tell me you brought us here when it's the opposite direction to our actual destination" at Grian's somewhat guilty silence Mumbo groaned "are you serious?"</p><p>"One drink won't kill us! Besides, what's the hurry anyways? We're not on a time crunch, X isn't going anywhere"</p><p>The redstoner had to take a very deep breath to keep himself from sounding frustrated "you get ONE drink, and then we are out. No casino, no getting too drunk so early in the day, no illegal business"</p><p>"What makes you think I'd do illegal stuff? I am a law-abiding citizen"</p><p>"Assaulting people with a pocket knife isn't legal"</p><p>"What police is gonna stop me?" He said with a sneaky grin as he was already heading for the front door.</p><p>Mumbo didn't really recognize this build, it was somewhat familiar though. At the door there was a bright red sign that said 'If you're Bdubs, no service!' "Am I right in assuming this place is run by Doc?"</p><p>Grian nodded "do Bdubs and Doc fight a lot in your world too?"</p><p>"We never hear the end of it" the redstoner admitted with a chuckle "but deep down they don't actually hate each other, it's all in good fun"</p><p>"Well I guess we've found another difference with your world and mine, these two actually can't stand each other" the blonde rolled his eyes, pushing the door open and being greeted by a surprisingly humble and welcoming atmosphere for a bar/casino. The man behind the bar immediately scowled upon laying eyes on the visitors.</p><p>"I keep forgetting to update the sign outside to also include you" Doc grumbled, tapping his metalic fingers on the counter "'If your name is Bdubs or Grian no service!' should do the trick"</p><p>"Awh come on Doc I'm not that bad of a customer" Grian's wings drooped a little but his smirk remained intact.</p><p>"If breaking backstage and rigging all my machines while your drunk and exhausting all my alcohol in world-record time isn't being a bad customer then I don't know what is" the cyborg growled.</p><p>"You did what?!" Mumbo yelped, glaring at his friend.</p><p>"That was only one time!" the builder insisted dismissively, sitting at the bar.</p><p>"Three, it happened three times" Doc corrected "and I had to pay for all three of them, you are not allowed in here if you can't control yourself"</p><p>"I know, but this time I can control myself I promise!" he insisted "I have my sober buddy to keep me out of trouble, isn't that right?" Grian said between gritted teeth making it hard for him to disagree.</p><p>"Fine, but only if you promise that after this there won't be any more unnecessary stops. After this we are going straight to X's, I don't want to hear a peep of excuse from you"</p><p>"You know I can't promise that" the builder replied flatly, already eyeing the bar supplies "hit me up with the strongest you got"</p><p>Doc grumbled under his breath yet complied. Mumbo was compelled to ask him questions but decided it would be safest when Grian was drunk out of his mind and wouldn't remember anything he happened to hear. It seemed like Doc was waiting for that too, since in between serving drinks he gave Mumbo a couple of curious glances. Half an hour in Grian was already drunk and blowing money on gambling machines a few meters away from the bar, thats when Doc finally asked.</p><p>"Alright who the hell are you? You clearly know him closely, because if not False would've taken care of you by now. I'm assuming he protected you and he doesn't so that often like at all. What's your deal kid?" The german said surprisingly calmly, sipping a drink himself.</p><p>"I-" Mumbo hesitated on what to say "I convinced him to take me to X. I'm not from around here and I thought he could help me. Doc, right? My name is Mumbo-" before he could finish Doc seemed to almost spit out his drink in surprise, but caught it in his mouth, a few seconds of shock later he swallowed and finally spoke.</p><p>"Mumbo as in Mumbo Jumbo?" Doc's real eye was clouded with an emotion the black haired man couldn't read. He hesitantly nodded.</p><p>"Why is that such a big deal?" The redstoner's face twisted with confusion and curiosity.</p><p>"What do you mean why is it such a big deal? You were…how?" the german trailed off.</p><p>"What? What's up with my name? Look I just got here and everyone's been making a big deal out of it like they know me or something, please tell me what's going on"</p><p>The cyborg wearily looked over Mumbo's shoulder, Grian was still doing his thing completely entertained by the slots machine "he won't like it if I tell you" Doc warned.</p><p>
  <em>This is wrong, he'll hate you if he finds out, your friendship will be ruined, this is a massive trigger for him and he's hiding it from you for a reason, this is taking advantage of him while he's drunk, this is wrong, this is wrong-</em>
</p><p>His mind raced with his rational thought, but his curiosity and need to learn more drowned it out "tell me"</p><p>"Hoo boy where to begin… I never thought I'd get to talk to you again Mumbo"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>-3 years ago, on the flipside-</em>
</p><p>Grian's eyes shot open at the sound of a loud and persistent knocking at his door. He sat up, startled, but the shock quickly faded and was replaced with annoyance. The builder drowsily looked outside, his eyes opening with the least effort he could muster until the scene outside wasn't blurry. It was probably around midday so in a sense he was glad to have been woken up otherwise he probably would've slept through the whole day. Feeling around for his phone on his nightstand in the beautiful master bedroom he'd built, he picked it up and rubbed his eyes to make them focus as the numbers on the time processed in his head.</p><p>
  <em>2:30pm…</em>
</p><p>There were a couple more knocks at his door that rung through the entire upper half of the mansion. "I'm coming, asshole! Gimme a minute!" Grian barked, jumping off the bed and half-heartedly getting dressed. Putting on sweaters was always more time-consuming when you had wings, it always took him a couple of tries to thread the needle and even more time to smooth out the feathers that had been frizzed up. More knocks rang through the house "I said be patient, I'm coming!" He repeated a bit more annoyed.</p><p>After getting ready the builder finally dragged himself over to the door and yanked it open, having predicted who would be on the other side.</p><p>It was a very frustrated looking Mumbo, the sun shone on the red star-shaped symbols on his face that mirrored the ones on Grian's. The redstoner was frowning as if he looked intimidating, but he just looked really cute instead. </p><p>"Uhh… what did I do wrong this time?" Grian murmured, rubbing his eye.</p><p>"You invited me to a mayoral meeting and didn't even show up! Who even does that?" The taller hermit huffed indignantly.</p><p>"Wasn't the mayoral meeting at 11am? Like 3 hours ago? Why are you here now?" Said Grian, amused.</p><p>"...alright maybe theres the possibility that I didn't exactly wake up early today either" it was very easy to read the embarassment in Mumbo's eyes when he'd been caught.</p><p>"Ha! Knew it" In his attempt not to laugh Grian just held a twitching, mocking smile. Even though he was making fun of the mustachioed man, a light blush did paint the builder's face.</p><p>Mumbo rolled his eyes "oh, shut up" he shoved Grian's shoulder playfully as the builder hazily waddled out of the mansion and closed the door behind him "I didn't just come here because of the meeting, Iskall and I are going to Doc's and we thought you'd like to come. Iskall said drinks are on him and I'm sure you don't want to pass that up"</p><p>Grian rolled his eyes "I'm still temporarily banned from Doc's place, remember?"</p><p>"We arranged a little something so he'll let you in, blackmail is our friend" Mumbo grinned.</p><p>"Yeah okay, I'm down" the builder smiled "I'm ready to leave right now if you want"</p><p>"We can go now…" Mumbo seemed to hesitate, worry slowly creeping into his face "But we should go there walking, that wing injury you had yesterday with the cave spider was pretty bad and I think we should give it time. Besides, it's about to rain"</p><p>"Are you seriously worried about that? Please, you know how good I am at flying" He boasted, spreading his wings to emphasize his point.</p><p>"But we really shouldn't-"</p><p>"Mumbo meet in the eyes and tell me I can't make it, I dare you" Grian insisted, cupping the taller man's face in his hands and forcing it to make eye contact. Mumbo didn't budge however, his expression still seem worried.</p><p>"Grian I-" alright that was enough. The builder grabbed Mumbo's hand firmly and with no further warning shot straight up into the sky with strong, confident wing beats as if yesterday's injury had never happened. The taller hermit let out a panicked yelp like he always did every time, and it was just as funny the hundredth time as it was the first. Once Mumbo got his mind together he finally scolded him "Will you stop doing that? You're going to give me a heart attack someday!"</p><p>"Awh come on Mumbo, it's hilarious" the builder teased, briefly letting go of Mumbo's arm then swooping down to catch the taller hermit's leg and fly him upside down.</p><p>Looking down at the ground, now way far below just made Mumbo yelp again "This is not fun! Not fun at all! This is a horrible idea! We really need to land, your wing is hurt and the rain-"</p><p>"Stop being such a pussy, man! If you're no fun the whole way there I'll drop you on purpose" Grian snickered, holding Mumbo's ankle a little looser.</p><p>"I'm not a pussy! It's just- can you at least hold me right side up please?" Mumbo's voice sounded so defeated the builder couldn't stifle a laugh.</p><p>"Fine, fine" Grian once again let go, then swooped around and grabbed the redstoner by the waist "better?"</p><p>"Much better, but there's safer ways to do that y'know?" The raven haired man sighed "anyways, please be careful" just as he said that a droplet of water fell on Grian's nose "it's about to rain, if I die today it's on you"</p><p>"I've committed to flying and my pride won't allow it, I can't land now or you won't let me forget it" Grian huffed.</p><p>"Alright, god you're so stubborn" Mumbo rolled his eyes, poking the winged hermit's side teasingly only for him to flinch and crack a smile.</p><p>"Cut that out, you'll make me lose focus! Do you want me to drop you or not?" Grian snarled.</p><p>"Who isn't fun now? you almost dropped me but <em>I</em> can't annoy you? doesn't seem fair" Mumbo had a lot to lose if things went south but that didn't mean he lost all backbone.</p><p>"The difference is that I'm the one driving and not you, so hush" Grian replied simply, flinching at another droplet that fell on the back of his neck, giving him chills.</p><p>The rest of the ride was silent. The weather slowly but surely got worse and worse. The winds picked up and started to drive droplets into the builder's face. His hair was soaking wet but he couldn't move the fringe out of his face since his hands were occupied. He swore there was thunder too but maybe that was just his imagination. At multiple points Mumbo opened his mouth as if he was gonna suggest they land again but no words came out. But in one swift and powerful breeze everything seemed to stop.</p><p>The world slowed down, as a strong gust of wind hit him back hard and untangled his arms, letting go of his cargo. He couldn't move as he watched the taller hermit start to fall, an expression of pure horror and panic in his eyes. Grian was frozen like a deer in headlights, his wings still unconsciously beating to keep him from falling. What felt like a few hours but was probably a few seconds later something he could barely hear over the drumming rain snapped him out of his trance. He didn't hear what it was but thoughtlessly he immediately plunged to try to save Mumbo. All the other thoughts were fuzzy, this was the only thing that mattered at that moment. He had to stifle his instincts to pull him back up and fly himself to safety, because no sane winged creature would intentionally plunge into the ground. The builder finally caught up with his falling friend but wasn't able to break the fall. Everything went dark, as if it was all just a bad dream he'd wake up from the next morning.</p><p>-</p><p>But it wasn't a dream. Grian jerked awake and before even opening his eyes he was already scrambling to his feet. A lightheaded dizziness almost made him fall back down, he blindly stumbled forth and caught himself on what felt like a tree. When his eyes did did open one of them was covered in thick scarlet blood. The builder felt around his face, there was a medium sized wound near the top of his forehead, it wasn't bleeding enough for him to be worried though. The rain could've possibly washed it away but he didn't care. </p><p>"Mumbo!" His voice was hoarse and desperate, from what he remembered there was no way anything had braced the redstoner's impact. "Mumbo!" Grian called over and over with a hoarse voice, struggling through the bushes of the dense forest looking for any sign of his friend with a racing heart.</p><p>Tears quickly began to prick his eyes as he continued to call for he hope he'd hear a peep back. Sobs started interrupting his voice but for once Grian swallowed his pessimism, there was no time for that. For what felt like hours he searched the forest until he spotted a dry scarlet trail of blood droplets. The builder shoved through the bushes aggressively to follow it but the sight he was met with made his stomach drop like a stone.</p><p>There, in the clearing, lay his friend's motionless body. The rain drumming on the poor mustachioed hermit, and an appropriately timed thunder in the background. Grian stood there, breath quickening the longer he stared. After what felt like an hour, he weakly waddled over to Mumbo and fell to his knees. He gripped the redstoner's shoulders tightly, as if he was about to shake him awake but the builder hesitated. The tears finally started running down his cheeks before he could actually do anything. He wanted to say something but whatever escaped his mouth was turned into a blabber of sobs.</p><p>He wrapped his arms around his friend's limp shoulders and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in Mumbo's warmth-less chest.</p><p>"Please wake up" his words were barely a whimper "you're not dead, you can't be, this is just a dumb nightmare right?…" his heart broke more with every second he didn't receive a reply "I don't know what I'll do without you, or what I'll do knowing I caused this, please please wake up"</p><p>But alas, nothing. Not a peep, not his comforting warm breath or his gentle reassuring smile.</p><p>"I swear I didn't mean this- I know I'm a bad person a-and you're teaching me a lesson but Mumbo please get up, this isn't funny" his words became more muffled and desperate "I promise I won't be such a dick anymore if you drop the act, please…I- I love you, you can't go yet..." nothing.</p><p>There was nothing. Not a twitch. He was gone, and it was all because of Grian's stupid pride. X was gonna be furious but honestly at this point that didn't matter. He stayed there. Who knows how long, it that was irrelevant anyways. Until someone came to get him he was gonna stay. Until someone tore him away and nursed him back to a stable state of mind he was gonna stay. Every once in a while he would have horrible panic attacks and headaches (reminder thats there's still a gash in his head) but he pushed them all away. They weren't even half as important.</p><p>-</p><p>"A-and then what happened?" Mumbo murmured, tapping his fingers anxiously on the bar table.</p><p>"Iskall found Grian crying on your dead body and had to bring him to his tree to comfort him. Of course Iskall was pretty traumatized too. You were buried in the shopping district near the town hall" Doc sighed "Everyone really liked you, so for once most of us got together in peace to mourn. It was one of the few moments in my life where I've seen all these horrible people coexisting peacefully"</p><p>"How… how do you know all this?"</p><p>"Well Grian told it to Iskall in vivid detail and Iskall told everyone else in a more digestible way" The German waved his hand dismissively "the real question is, now that you know what happened to the Mumbo in this world, who the hell are you?"</p><p>"I…" this was all a lot of information to process, it hadn't quite sunk in "I'm… I'm not your Mumbo, but I am Mumbo… does that make sense?"</p><p>"Not really, sorry"</p><p>Mumbo groaned, covering his face with his hands and letting them run through his raven black hair "look, I don't… I don't know. I don't know what's going on. Aparently the me from this world is dead but Im alive and I still have my own world to get to. This is all very confusing. For some reason people only recognize my name but not my appearance and apparently Grian liked this-world-me and-"</p><p>Doc cut him off by placing a hand on Mumbo's shoulder "breathe" he instructed firmly. The redstoner complied, taking deep breaths to calm himself down "I know this must be overwhelming and I'm not quite sure whats happening either but freaking out won't do you any good"</p><p>"T-thank you" Mumbo murmured, now looking back at the builder still drunk out of his mind behind them, he couldn't help but see him in a new light. This was why the name was so triggering. This was why he acted iffy around him, its the equivalent of walking around next to a long-gone friend. He must be internally going through a lot.</p><p>Doc smiled to himself "We might not know what's happening but I'm glad to have you back Mumbo, and Im sure deep down he's ecstatic to have you back too"</p><p>"Y-yeah" Mumbo gave a small chuckle "Do you think…" he hesitated "hypothetically of course… if he liked the other Mumbo…" the redstoner trailed off embarrassedly.</p><p>"Well what do you have to lose?" The cyborg smirked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"More than you might think" Mumbo sighed "maybe once this X stuff is over with"</p><p>"Are you gonna tell him you know now?"</p><p>"...no"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. We need to talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Mumbo, where are you going?" Doc called with a raised eyebrow as Mumbo hesitantly got up off the table.</p><p>"I… I need to get some air" the restoner murmured, giving drunk Grian a side glance "can you take care of him for me? I won't be long, I promise. And if he does break things its on me, leave him alone"</p><p>"Erm, okay I guess? It gets kind of cold in the nights outside just saying" The cyborg got up off of the counter hesitantly "We should probably be watching him closer than we have as of now anyways"</p><p>"Thanks" Mumbo's eyes were clouded and unfocused, he had way too much on his mind. Before he opened the door to go outside he could spot Doc walking over to Grian to watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Alas he opened the door and the cold stinging night air immediately hit his face. This was way colder than last night, to the point where he could see every puff of breath in front of him. It wasn't uncommon to see sudden changes in weather though, even back in Mumbo's world the weather seemed to follow no pattern.</p><p>Despite it being chilly the suit was enough to keep Mumbo reasonably warm. He quietly leant against the outer wall of the building he just left and looked out into the forest. Something about the gentle swaying trees and the melodic cricket chirps that it emitted calmed his nerves. Even just looking up at the innocent twinkling stars and subconsciously identifying actual constellations freed his mind from some of its stressful burdens. In these times that's exactly what he needed. His mind was left to linger, it was good to take a breath and let his thoughts settle into place.</p><p>There was a lot to think about. Mainly why was he here? What ominous entity brought him here and why? But there were other things too. Like how horrible it must be for Grian to have to coexist with a deceased loved one he'd been so desperately trying to get over. A lot fell into place. He started to think back to things drunk Grian had slipped that made more sense now.</p><p><em>"You even act like him" "I promised myself I wouldn't tell you" "Iskall knows too" "you know him better than anyone"</em> it all made sense.</p><p>This must be so painful for him. Mumbo suddenly felt horribly guilty for allowing himself to get so close to the builder. If he'd known his mere presence reminded them of someone close they lost then Mumbo might have just tried to figure things out completely on his own. Maybe then when the redstoner eventually left then it wouldn't hurt as bad. One last sentence from drunk Grian when they were at Iskall's flashed in his mind.</p><p>
  <em>"I miss you Mumbo, don't leave me again"</em>
</p><p>Mumbo… didn't have a choice. He had to leave. He had to go back to his friends. But at the same time, how would he possibly leave this Grian alone? It would destroy him. The tall hermit was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize he was starting to hyperventilate until his mind paused for a breather. He gripped onto the wall to steady himself and tried to calm down, but he was having a hard time breathing normally. Anxiety seemed to be controlling his lungs and doing whatever it pleased with them. The edges of his vision were getting darker announcing the start of a panic attack but his mind cleared when a pair of arms wrapped gently around his stomach. Who it was didn't concern him, all that mattered was the slowing down of each breath over a few minutes. The person's cheek pressed against his upper back. When his breathing had become regular and his thoughts had settled we pulled away, and his comforter's arms gently untangled. Unsurprisingly, it was Grian. Who looked… somewhat sober but not really. His big blue eyes lay silently on him as if waiting for Mumbo to say something.</p><p>"...are you sober?" Mumbo murmured cautiously, rubbing the back of his neck.</p><p>Grian gently shook his head "no, but it doesn't require a lot of common sense to see you needed help"</p><p>"I thought Doc was watching you" he sighed, taking a step back.</p><p>"He was, but he trusted me to come outside when I told him you were in trouble"</p><p>"That doesn't sound like Doc…"</p><p>"Because it wasn't, I just made that up. In reality I snuck away when he wasn't looking, he's currently searching for me in the back room" the builder admitted flatly.</p><p>"Yeah thats much more believable" Mumbo did crack a gentle smile "how did you know I was out here though?"</p><p>"I… I don't know" his wings shrugged instead of his shoulders "I just felt it in my gut, and I came to help you"</p><p>"Do you recognize the possibility that instead what you felt in your gut was a stomach ache complaining about your drinking?" Mumbo leaned back onto the wall, running his fingers through his hair. Pulling his hand back he was surprised to see it speckled with redstone still. He hadn't touched the powder in ages, maybe it just didn't ever come off.</p><p>"Well when you put it like that then yeah, of course" Grian grinned, surprisingly honestly.</p><p>"You sound oddly calm to be supposedly drunk" the redstoner murmured, narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"Just because I'm drunk doesn't mean Ill always be badshit crazy" he snickered "sometimes I've been so badshit crazy all night all I have energy left for is… well it leaves just crazy. That doesn't matter, why are <em>you</em> out here anyways?"</p><p>"I uhh… needed some air" he mumbled vaguely.</p><p>"Well clearly there's a lot on your mind" Grian sat down neatly on the grass with his back against the wall and patted the ground next to him, inviting Mumbo to sit down with him "If you need someone to vent to I probably won't remember this conversation tomorrow anyways"</p><p>Mumbo silently settled next to him "are you… sure you're not gonna remember this?"</p><p>"Of course. After this I'm just gonna go straight back to exhausting Doc's bar supplies again"  the builder waved his hand dismissively.</p><p>"Uhm alright" despite Grian being so confident he was still gonna play it safe "it's just… very interesting revelation has presented itself and it was a bit overwhelming" Mumbo mumbled.</p><p>"Yeah, I get that. When I'm having a panic attack I try to ground myself, something as simple as looking around and identifying objects in my vicinity helps me a lot. It's what I did for you there, gave you an anchor and grounded you in your environment. Everything else came back naturally" he explained.</p><p>"How do you manage to sound so much smarter when you're drunk?" The raven haired man rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Are you implying I'm not smart when I'm sober?"</p><p>"That's not it- it's just I've never heard you talk this seriously apart from that one conversation on Iskall's tree"</p><p>His friend ran his fingers through his blond hair "I've already forgotten what we talked about there" he murmured dismissively.</p><p>There was a stretched silence, in which Mumbo's head was already running with thoughts again looking back out into the forest. What snapped him out of it this time was a wince from the man sitting besides him. "What's wrong?"</p><p>"You're using my hand as a stress ball and I was ignoring it but now its getting hard to ignore" The builder murmured casually, raising their intertwined hands as if to prove his point.</p><p>When had he- since when had they- Mumbo pulled his hand away "I-Im so sorry, I didn't mean-..." he quickly trailed off.</p><p>"Jeez you gotta stop worrying so much about little things like that man. I don't mind mate, look past your own nose. Stop apologizing for everything"</p><p>"Im s-... okay" he sighed, admitting defeat "I-if you really don't mind it then can I have it again? It was helping me think… I think" the builder complied without complaint. Another silence settled until Mumbo blurted something out "can I ask you something and- and are you sure you won't remember it tomorrow?"</p><p>The winged hermit nodded calmly "Of course you can"</p><p>"Doc told me some things and- do you…" Mumbo hesitated <em>am I really about to ask this?</em> was the loudest thought in his head right now. He took a deep breath and gathered his guts because what was left of them wouldn't last "the way he described some things- it was kind of- ugh what I'm trying to say is, do you like me?"</p><p>Grian's expression didn't change. His only reaction before responding was a thoughtful hum "yeah, yeah I think I do. What about it?"</p><p>Mumbo was sure that if he was sober that answer would've been way less direct, if his question was answered at all. "W… why?"</p><p>"I mean, why does anyone like anyone? I dunno, I guess you're funny, you make me laugh, you're cute and that's probably a factor" he was listing things off as if it was no biggie, when the redstoner had expected a much more complicated reaction.</p><p>"Nothing to do with…?" Mumbo cut off but based on Grian's reaction he'd figured it out.</p><p>"Oh, so <em>that's</em> what Doc told you? Huh, well if I were sober I'd be mad but right now I could not care less. Yeah that probably has a lot to do with it. I liked you a lot back then, we were inseparable and there was nothing more fun than dropping into your base to bother you" he chuckled "the question is, are the feelings mutual?"</p><p>When the attention was suddenly turned on him it reminded him the implications of this conversation, which dusted his cheeks dark red "I… I uhhm-" he wasn't able to come up with an answer.</p><p>Grian looked intent on reading Mumbo's thoughts by observing body language but ultimately seemed to give up "Well if you decide you don't I won't take offense. It's pretty understandable. Not like it matters anyways, we couldn't be together either way" the builder shrugged calmly.</p><p>"Well why not?" Mumbo even surprised himself with his directness.</p><p>"You have your own Grian already, you have your friends and your base somewhere else. You're planning to leave me behind, how the hell would we maintain a relationship?" His tone turned somber "And I'm not thinking very rationally right now but I'm pretty sure sober Grian wouldn't be able to live with himself if he knew he was holding you here when you could be with your friends. Plus, the whole dead crush thing is kind of a damper on it, you have no clue what chaos goes through my brain every time I glance at you. It feels wrong to have you here. You act like him, you look like him, yet you're not, because hes dead" The builder said flatly.</p><p>Mumbo opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. He was right. The redstoner couldn't stay here, he didn't belong. This place had its charm and this Grian was lovely but his friends were still waiting for him, and it wasn't realistic for Mumbo to pretend he wouldn't need them anymore for the rest of his life. Despite how much he could ever try to push thoughts down he would always miss them.</p><p>"If you need me I'll be inside getting drunker" Grian's somber voice snapped him out of his thoughts, as he hesitantly got to his feet "I promised you I wouldn't remember this and I'm not quite there yet"</p><p>"Wait" Mumbo grabbed Grian's cape before it was out of reach, and it stopped the builder in his tracks. The redstoner scrambled to his feet and pulled the shorter hermit into a hug "I'll miss you. I'll miss you a lot. I want you to know that"</p><p>
  <em>He shouldn't, he couldn't, he wouldn't… but he wanted to.</em>
</p><p>"Well…" Grian sighed and patted Mumbo's back "you can tell me that tomorr-mhmmf!" Grian's sentence was cut short as Mumbo's lips clumsily crashed into his.</p><p>
  <em>He did.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Meanwhile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>-meanwhile, back home-</em>
</p><p>"What do you mean he's isn't in the end? He has to be! We've looked everywhere else!" Grian whined.</p><p>2 months, Mumbo had been missing for 2 months and it was driving all the hermits insane. They were all worried sick, but at a glance it was safe to say that Iskall, Grian and Xisuma were the ones most worried. They had searched all three worlds but there was no trace of him. Every report Grian received at the front of his door built his anxiety more and more.</p><p>"Grian we promise he couldn't have gotten farther than the area we explored without an exp farm to replenish his elytra, and if he farmed endermen we would've caught up to him by now" False assured somberly "he is not in the end"</p><p>"You said the same thing about the nether!" the winged builder huffed.</p><p>"Well because the same thing applies to the nether" False replied, trying her best to keep her calm after days upon days of the hermits complaining to <em>her</em> and her search parties that they hadn't found him, like it was their fault.</p><p>"Grian, screaming won't get us anywhere" Iskall cut in from the frame of his mansion door "If we stay calm-"</p><p>"Iskall look me in the eye and tell me I'm not calm" the builder snarled.</p><p>"You're not calm" said both Iskall and False in unison with an unimpressed tone.</p><p>"It's starting to feel like you guys don't even care about him" he grumbled, turning away and crossing his arms childishly.</p><p>"Of course we care about him! But there's only so much we can do" Iskall wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder and patted his back comfortingly "we've done everything we can, all we can really do now is wait. There's no rock we haven't flipped for him"</p><p>"But if Mumbo's not here who am I gonna bother when I'm bored? Who's gonna receive my minecart messages or visit Grumbot with me?" Grian stomped in frustration.</p><p>"Is the bothering thing really what you're most concerned about? Not about how your best friend and the person you're campaigning for to be mayor is possibly in trouble?" False raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"Hey are you accusing me of being a bad friend? Because I beg to differ, I have been the one most determined to take action out of all of us!" The builder's wings fluffed up indignantly.</p><p>"By that you mean you've been the loudest out of all of us" she narrowed her eyes.</p><p>"Guys cut it out! Fighting won't bring him back" Iskall had to intercept again, this time moving in between the two arguing hermits to break their glares and gently pushing them apart.</p><p>The warrior sighed "Alright whatever, you guys do as you please. I'm gonna go check in on X, he hasn't left his base in ages and I'm starting to get worried" False murmured, rubbing the back of her neck.</p><p>"Yeah, he's been onto this more than anyone recently. Has he told anyone about what he's found?" Iskall sighed, leaning back on the massive mansion door.</p><p>"Nope, he hasn't let anyone in his room since this all started" she huffed as she hastily strapped on her elytra again "but I think this time I'll let myself in, it's probably for his own good"</p><p>"Make sure he's alright for us, see ya later False!" Iskall waved off and quickly placed a hand over Grian's mouth once it opened to prevent him from saying anything "if you're gonna complain I don't wanna hear it" the swedish hermit warned in a whisper. Grian rolled his eyes and waved goodbye too.</p><p>"See you guys later!" And with a rocket launch she was off. The remaining hermits looked back down at each other.</p><p>"Why are you so mean now? Everyone's trying to help you, we miss him too" Iskall huffed, crossing his arms.</p><p>"I know I know, I'm sorry I'm just- losing my patience" Grian's wings drooped as he started to walk back into his mansion, Iskall following beside him.</p><p>"Patience? Did you ever have any to begin with?" His friend chuckled "I know your patience is limited and I get how you lose your cool but you have to take a step back and breathe. Everyone right now is trying their best but getting mad will just worsen the morale"</p><p>"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm glad I've got you here at least. I don't know what I'd do if my two best friends both disappeared without a trace back to back" he said only half-jokingly.</p><p>"If it makes you feel better, I'm hurting as much as you. He was my best friend too" Iskall slung his arm over his friend's shoulder "we'll find him, I promise"</p><p>-</p><p>(Im gonna remind you that Ive just started watching False's videos, don't burn me at the stake if my characterization is off-)</p><p>False neatly landed at the platform in front of the tower in Xisuma's base where he actually lived. All the other bee-themed industrial buildings were mainly used for farms and such. The sight that greeted her was less than surprising, part of her had already predicted she wasn't coming to bother Xisuma alone. Stress and Doc were at the door to Xisuma's bedroom, the room he hadn't left in weeks, presumably asking to be let in. False approached and sure enough that was exactly what was happening.</p><p>"Come on X, this isn't healthy for you! Let us help you!" Stress' voice was filled with worry, her ear was stuck to the door as if she could hear his replied any better from there.</p><p>"No matter how many times you repeat it, my answer is not gonna change Stress, please go back home I'm sure you have things to do. Go work on your base or your campaign" Xisuma's scraggly, tired, muffled voice replied through the door.</p><p>"Hey guys" False murmured, making her presence known as her two fellow hermits whipped around and greeted her with a wave "have you tried just letting yourselves in?"</p><p>"Of course we have, but he's barricaded the door and we don't want to just break it" Doc sighed, shaking his head in frustration.</p><p>"What's he been saying?"</p><p>"He keeps insisting he doesn't need our help and that we should get back to our daily lives" Stress huffed "it appears he has forgotten we are the most stubborn and determined people on the planet and we will sooner starve here rather than leave him alone" she said that last part extra loud and clearly directed at the admin.</p><p>"I haven't forgotten, I'm just hoping for a miracle" Xisuma huffed from the other side of the door.</p><p>False silently walked up to the door and tried to push it open. It was being held shut by a lot of weight but surprisingly no keyhole she could see. It made sense though, when building this room X probably didn't consider this situation could've happened. "Guys If we all push together we might be able to open it" she murmured, looking back up at her friends.</p><p>Doc nodded right away but Stress seemed a bit more hesitant "wouldn't that be a step too far and a bit of a breach of privacy? I'm sure we can still convince him to let us in…" she trailed off.</p><p>"Stress we've been trying to convince him for like an hour, I'm pretty sure we need to change our strategy" the German hermit said calmly "I agree with False, this is for his own good"</p><p>After a few more moments of hesitation, Stress eventually nodded "fine, fine" she sighed "I guess you're right"</p><p>The three hermits lined up sideways ready to push the door open "X, we are about to shove this open. This is your only warning to put your helmet on if you don't want us to see you" False warned. They heard shuffling from the inside of the room, but then it stopped. They assumed he was done and pulled back "ready? Push!" She instructed, all three of them slammed into the door. Something on the other side was pushed away and the door swung open. The sight that met their eyes wasn't a pretty one.</p><p>Xisuma was hunched over in front of his computer with hundreds if not thousands of papers scattered on the floor and on his desk, all with intricate scribbles of things False couldn't decipher all crossed out. There were a couple of broken calculators and no natural sunlight since the blinds were closed. The only light now came from the doorway and the computer. X himself was in a pretty sorry state too, even through his visor the bags under his panicked eyes were easy to see. There were multiple empty cups of what they could only assume was coffee littered all over the desk. The three hermits gasped.</p><p>"Luv, what have you been doing to yourself?" Stress huffed, instantly crossing her arms.</p><p>"Guys I can explain-"</p><p>"You better! If there isn't a clear explanation of why you're letting yourself live in this- this paper den then you're in big trouble" She scolded.</p><p>"Alright, alright I'll explain if you guys let me talk" Xisuma waved his hand dismissively, turning back to his computer on his swivel chair but being stopped half way by Doc.</p><p>"You're going for a walk outside, no more computer for you until you tell us whats going on man" the cyborg said firmly.</p><p>"But-" before he could finish talking the admin was already being dragged outside "this isn't fair, I'm outnumbered!"</p><p>"Nobody else in their right mind would side with you now anyways" Doc said dismissively. The second sunlight hit Xisuma's face through his visor he immediately made an attempt to go back inside like he was allergic to it. Despite that they managed to bring him out "alright, the sooner you open your eyes the quicker you'll get used to it" Doc huffed.</p><p>After a few seconds X seemed to have adjusted to the light, but his brain still seemed to take twice as long to process information before it left his mouth "okay so, I'm sure you all know what has been going on recently regarding Mumbo" the admin started hesitantly, waiting for the other hermit's nods of confirmation. They started to walk down the building to the pretty jungle forest road that connected the base together "I've been going crazy trying to figure out whats going on and I'm sure some of you have too"</p><p>"Tell me about it, Grian and Iskall have made us turn every rock in our search for him" False sighed.</p><p>"Well I think I know whats going on, I just don't know what to do about it" the admin murmured, rubbing the back of his neck "it gets confusing though, let that serve as a warning" all three of them silently nodded in unison as if prodding him to continue regardless. "Alright so uhm… my theory is that Mumbo isn't in this world anymore, he's in another dimension a-and-"</p><p>"<em>What?</em> You're telling us our searching parties have been for nothing-?" Doc started but was promptly shut up when Stress covered his mouth with her hand, wordlessly telling him to zip it.</p><p>"Y-yeah, sorry about that. There's… hoo boy, Im gonna need to explain a lot of things and you guys just save your questions until the end okay?"</p><p>All three of them nodded again "got it, questions at the end" Stress assured, shooting another glare at Doc who raised his hands in surrender.</p><p>"Fine fine, no questions until the end" Doc grumbled.</p><p>"Alright" Xisuma took a deep breath "First of all, I know you haven't heard of him but accept it as a fact of life now, I have an evil twin called Evil X" Doc opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. It looks like X had already confused all three of them, but he kept going "he lives in this alternate dimension- we'll call it "the flipside" for simplicity. Its basically an alternate world like this, but everything sucks. Evil X has been trying to make portals to other dimensions and specifically this one because he doesn't like me very much. And it appears he has succeeded kind of, because he's just dragged Mumbo into his world. I have no clue why it's Mumbo and not me, maybe it was a mistake or maybe its some vendetta but the problem is that he knows how to get to us be we don't know how to get to him" he wheezed for breath once he was done with his monologue "That's what I've been doing inside, trying to figure out how to get to him"</p><p>There was a long stretched out silence filled with only side glances, raised eye brows, confusion, concern and intrigue.</p><p>"Can we ask questions now?" False murmured.</p><p>"Go ahead, I'd be pretty confused too" the admin sighed.</p><p>"Are you sure that this is real or has that paper den warped your mind?" Doc began wearily.</p><p>"Yes, yes I'm sure" X replied patiently "is that all?"</p><p>"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Stress spoke up.</p><p>"Because I didn't want to alarm anyone, I genuinely thought I could fix this on my own. So Doc is partly right, that room did warp my mind a little into not trusting you guys with this"</p><p>"Alright well I'm glad that you've realized, so we can work this all out together. We should tell the others too. The more people know about this the more ideas we'll get to solving this problem" Doc said, determination sparking up in his eyes.</p><p>Xisuma nodded "mkay, let's go figure out how to get our friend back"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Escapism</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-<em>Back on the Flipside</em>-</p><p>After what felt like just a heartbeat they had to pull apart to gasp for air. They were left panting and their cheeks full of color, the builder's face was so vibrant it dwarfed the purple star making on his left eye. Grian was redder than Mumbo had ever seen him. As if every other action he'd had under control but this completely threw him for a loop. That would of course be ignoring the fact that Mumbo was pretty much boiling from the inside even though he was the one who chose to kiss him. The builder stumbled a few steps back, his wings fluffed up like a bird trying to look bigger to fend off a predator. He almost seemed... scared.</p><p>Keyword <em>almost</em>, because Grian's expression was pretty much unreadable.</p><p>"W-..." the builder seemed to be at a loss for words.</p><p>"Grian I-"</p><p>"Why?" Grian interrupted silently, almost shyly. His eyes were slowly clouding to reveal a mix of anger and shock "Why are you letting me get attached to you? Why did you let me kiss you back?"</p><p>To that Mumbo didn't have a response "look, G-"</p><p>"No! Shut up, don't make me feel bad for you. You're just gonna make it worse" The builder growled, taking a few steps back and almost tripping on the stones indented on the floor "I'm… I'm flattered you feel that way but this can't happen, I'm sorry" the winged hermit slowly backed away and placed his hand on the door knob but hesitated and looked back up at Mumbo as if to give him a chance to defend himself.</p><p>"I… alright" the redstoner's shoulders shrunk. He didn't really think this through, he wasn't sure what he was expecting "are you gonna drink this off?"</p><p>Grian hesitated, as if he was re-considering something important, then pulled his hand away from the door knob. Hope sparked in Mumbo's chest but it didn't last very long, as his friend's wings opened slowly as the blond hermit turned away, head tilted up at the night sky as if he's about to... about to take off... </p><p>"Wait Grian don't-!"</p><p>Without the need of a running start the builder's wings pushed him up into the sky, the beats were so strong it kicked up dirt from the path they were standing on. Before Mumbo could react Grian was already flying away as fast as he could. The redstoner's brain hadn't caught up yet to what was happening as Doc swung open the bar door and shook his fist at the hermit flying into the horizon "Hey! You forgot the bill, asshole!" He barked, and whipped around to the mustachioed hermit "where does he think he's going?"</p><p>"I… I don't know…" Mumbo's voice quivered, weakly staring after his friend as the shadowy figure slowly merged with the night sky in the horizon.</p><p>Doc's anger seemed to deflate a little "what even happened? You seem upset too, the difference is that you don't owe me hundreds of diamonds and don't have the wings to get away with it."</p><p>"I kissed him" Mumbo's voice barely came out as a whisper, wiping his face with his sleeve "I didn't mean to make him sad, I shouldn't have been so stupid…"</p><p>The cyborg's expression softened "Oh I'm sure you'll be fine. If it helps he's probably going back to his mansion based on his general direction. You can go after him"</p><p>"Even if I knew where to go how the heck am I supposed to get there? It's taken us days to just walk here. Besides, wouldn't chasing after him make things worse?" He murmured, looking down at his hands once Grian's figure was out of sight.</p><p>"Well Tango just came by and installed one of his ravenger launchers that sends you flying miles. We could aim it at his mansion and see what happens" Doc suggested.</p><p>"Would that work? I'm not sure about this…"</p><p>"Then I guess you'll have to take the long way 'round, you do you" the german hermit shrugged and opened the door to go back inside.</p><p>"Wait-" Mumbo hesitated, then placed his hand on Doc's shoulder to stop him "I-I'll do it"</p><p>"Figured as much" Doc chuckled "I'll get it ready, mentally prepare yourself my easily coerced friend"</p><p>The redstoner sighed. Last time he'd used a ravenger launcher was… an interesting case. It wasn't like he was against the idea but he wasn't all for it either. By now Grian had probably arrived at his mansion, at least he thought so. While his mind drifted Doc wordlessly led him to the launcher, equipped him with a shield and stood back.</p><p>"Remember, if you don't land in water its a sure death. You know what to do right?" The cyborg called from a safe distance.</p><p>"I-I think so…" block this hit with the shield and…</p><p>"Alright, goodb-" Doc's voice was cut off as Mumbo was launched at incredible speeds through the sky. This was significantly more terrifying without the comfort of his elytra strapped to his back as a fail-safe. He did miss soaring through the sky on his own and this experience was kind of similar to that. His time of nostalgia for his wings quickly came to its end as Mumbo ended up diving head first into some lake. At least it was this to break his fall and not Grian's mansion wall. The redstoner scrambled to shore and sure enough the calculations were correct. He was at the lake that connected Grian's mansion and Scar's village, with the sims creeper farm in the middle. The main problem is that now he was soaking wet. He wrung out his jacket on the shore and did his best to dry his hair but that's about all he could do apart from changing clothes which was not an option.</p><p>He had forgotten how majestic Grian's completed mansion looked, he hadn't been here since he first arrived. Even standing at the base of the massive staircase that led into the mansion felt grand in a way. The redstoner stepped up wearily, looking for any signs that would indicate if his friend was already home or not. He pushed the massive door a little to peek in and the fireplace was roaring, which could only mean one thing. Mumbo quietly stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Despite having confirmation that Grian was here, he was nowhere to be seen in that living room. There were however footsteps above his head, in the second floor of the upper half of the mansion… jeez how many floors does this place even have? The footsteps stopped abruptly, then he could hear the creak of a metal gate open and the beat of a pair of wings. Mumbo followed the sound carefully, trying his best not to make a sound. Going up the stairs to a beautifully furnished second floor he noticed there was another set of stairs labeled "roof".</p><p>Peeking his head out past the gate he heard the tuning and fumbling of guitar strings. (because fuck you this is my fic thats why (:&lt; ) There was Grian, sitting on the edge of the roof with a light brown guitar illuminated by the moonlight. Mumbo's curiosity to see what happened next kept him a silent sitting duck hiding just behind the gate.</p><p>What he heard made his heart beat in his ears. A calm, soothing guitar tune that didn't quite drown out the peaceful crickets chirping in the night. It stopped abruptly, cut short by a frustrated grumble and a returing of strings, the it started back again. The melody was incredibly calming and peaceful, putting most of the thoughts running through Mumbo's head to a complete stop. What he didn't expect however, was the singing that followed.</p><p>
  <em>"I guess I have to face that in this awful place</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I shouldn't show a trace of doubt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But pulled against the grain, I feel a little pain</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That I would rather do without.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'd rather be free</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Free~</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Free…"</em>
</p><p>The hermit slowly stood up and spread his wings, it almost looked as if they were glowing in the dim moonlight. He didn't leave the ground though, still holding onto his instrument tightly.</p><p>
  <em>"I'd rather be free, free~ free... from here"</em>
</p><p>And just as fast as it started it was over. Mumbo couldn't peel his eyes off the builder, it was hypnotizing even if he couldn't see his face. The same voice snapped him out of his thoughts. </p><p>"You're breaking an entering" Grian murmured quietly, not bothering to look back at him.</p><p>It was almost as if Mumbo forgot he was there, since the winged hermit was all he had focused on everything else had faded away "that was… lovely" Mumbo whispered almost to himself breathlessly, eyes sparkling with admiration.</p><p>He could see the corner of Grian's cheek turn bright red but he didn't turn back around "I- thank you, but you can't be here. Please go away" the builder murmured.</p><p>"I know, but that never stopped me" The redstoner silently padded up to him and pointed at the part of the roof next to where the builder was sitting "may I?"</p><p>"You're not gonna listen to me anyways, do whatever you want" the winged hermit grumbled, turning his face away from him and putting the guitar safely behind him "I can't get rid of you can I?"</p><p>"Nope" he huffed stubbornly, settling beside the builder "you're gonna have to try a little harder than that"</p><p>"Why are you so goddamn stubborn?" The builder growled quietly "Why can't you just let it go and leave me alone? Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to be around you?" His wings were fluffling up like a cat with bristling fur "My brain keeps telling me you shouldn't be here, you're dead and I had gotten over you but here you are. And you have the audacity to give me what I've always wanted knowing you'll have to take it away from me" tears pricked the edges of his eyes "that desperate feeling is what made me kiss you back, as if it was going to somehow bring my Mumbo back"</p><p>"Grian-"</p><p>"No, I won't still bring you to X's place, tell everyone about poultry man see if I care. It's not healthy for me to be around you" the shorter hermit interrupted "I just want you out of my life. I'm tempted to push you over right here right now" He grumbled grimly, leaning a bit forward to look down below his dangling legs. <em>Yep, long way down</em> Mumbo thought with a hard gulp.</p><p>"That's not what I was going to say…"</p><p>"Well then what were you going to say?"</p><p>"What if I wanted to stay here with you?" Mumbo hesitantly grabbed Grian's hand.</p><p>"You don't" In response, Grian hissed and yanked his hand away.</p><p>"And you're right, but maybe you could come with me"</p><p>"I already told you I don't want to be with you, why on earth would I come with you? I need to move on from this" he got to his feet and picked up his guitar "I'm going to bed. Do whatever the fuck you want, I don't care at this point. Burn down the house if you want to, you don't listen to me. If I perished in a fire you'd be doing me a favor honestly"</p><p>"Grian please listen…" the builder turned over his shoulder with a tired yet intimidating glare "I know you're mad and I know that you want to get away from me but I- I can't do this alone" Mumbo's voice cracked nervously "Please, I need your help. Once I'm back home you don't have to worry about me ever again, I promise"</p><p>"Well… what do I gain from helping you? If I just refuse then the worst thing that could happen is Iskall getting pissy but I can deal with that" the builder huffed.</p><p>"You gain getting rid of me, after this you can move on all you want, forget me all you want" the redstoner insisted, scrambling to his feet as well "I won't even be in the same world as you, you'll never see me"</p><p>The following silence was filled by the cold breeze and occasional chirps from crickets until Grian finally spoke "Do you promise to keep your distance? Especially when I'm drunk and don't know any better?" He murmured wearily.</p><p>"..." Mumbo didn't know how to answer, it wasn't a no but it wasn't a yes either. It seems like his silence told Grian everything he needed to know.</p><p>"If you can't promise that then I won't take you there. Apart from being a shitty move, kissing me while I was even a bit drunk and generally unaware of what was going on was taking advantage of me. If I was intoxicated enough to not know better or remember it happened would you have told me?" He snarled.</p><p>Silence from Mumbo again.</p><p>"Mumbo, answer me. If I had forgotten about what happened tonight, would you have told me you kissed me? Would you have told me Doc told you about the other Mumbo?"</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>"Ah, I see, you would've kept it to yourself. So you didn't do it because you wanted to be in a relationship as equals, it was all for you" he took a few steps back, narrowing his glare "you were planning to just kiss me and get away with it because you thought I wouldn't remember it, that's why you asked to confirm it so many times, you just derive pleasure from toying with my feelings without consequence then? Yeah go ahead, kiss the drunk boy, its not like he's gonna remember this tomorrow anyways, I can just get the satisfaction of making out with him without any of the consequences" The builder hissed.</p><p>"Grian please, let me-"</p><p>"Come to my house and rub it in why dont'cha? Rub in how awful of a person you were, come here with your stupid adorable face and try to make me feel guilty for being mad! Well guess what, I've felt so fucking guilty these past few years I'm out of guilty, I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for being mad at you, because I know I'm right" He barked "You wanted this all along right? Don't even ask me if I'm okay with it, just step in, tug at my heartstrings- no not tug, rip them out with the safety blanket of "oh hes drunk I don't have to live the consequences of this tomorrow", what a shitty, scummy move"</p><p>"B-but you kissed me back…" Mumbo's voice was barely a whimper.</p><p>"Of course I kissed you back, it's what I've wanted for ages! But at least the Mumbo I wanted to kiss didn't take advantage of me while I was drunk and had the full knowledge that he would just be teasing me with what I wanted only to rip it away the first chance he got!" Grian snarled, tears starting to run down his cheeks.</p><p>Mumbo took a few steps back and opened his mouth to defend himself but it was cut off by a yelp because of course Mumbo forgot he was on the part of the roof with no safety rail. He almost fell the long way down to the floor, but Grian without hesitation reached out and grabbed Mumbo's tie, leaving him leaning over the edge at an angle where he couldn't get back up by himself and his feet semi-planted on the ground and his tie were the only thing keeping him alive. The redstoner's stomach immediately flipped in panic, he stared desperately at Grian to pull him back up but the builder was just staying still. He could let go of him at any moment and Mumbo couldn't do much about it.</p><p>Grian's expression was almost unreadable, a mixture of pain, indecision and guilt in his frown. Staring straight into the other's eyes in this still moment where Mumbo could be about to die was an interesting predicament for sure. He couldn't imagine what was going through his friend's head.</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em>Why? Why don't I want to let go? I hate you, you're awful, what you did to me was awful, what you do to me is awful, but I can't bring myself to let go. Why is my heart beating so loudly? Why do I still like you after all of this? Why do I want you to kiss me again when you're so awful? Why are you staring at me like that, you know exactly what you've done. Ugh, why can't I take my eyes off of yours?... what would Mumbo say about this? He's probably watching, he's probably disappointed. Fuck, no, he's not watching, ghosts aren't real, I'm just a moron. Why are you still looking at me like that? Why are those puppy eyes working on me when I know how fucking awful you are?</em>
</p><p>-</p><p>After a few more seconds of staring each other down Grian hesitantly pulled Mumbo to safety. They didn't break eye contact, but Mumbo's breath did slow down as the panic settled.</p><p>"Y-you…" Mumbo began to stutter but didn't know what to say "I'm- I…"</p><p>"I hate you" the builder was barely even whispering "So fucking much" it looked like he was about to cry again but nothing came out "you can sleep in one of the guest rooms if you want, I just don't want to see you for the rest of tonight" he murmured, finally breaking the eye contact to whip around and walk back up to the iron gate. Grian gave Mumbo one last painful glance before going back in, presumably to his room.</p><p>The redstoner was left there speechless. There was so many things he wanted to say, apologize 500 times if need be but nothing would come out of his mouth. The knot in his throat was just tightening with every agonizing moment of silence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry I missed the update yesterday- I would say this chapter took longer to rewrite but nope, I just forgot lmao. Ill try to stick to my "one every other day" thing</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Back in the jungle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mumbo "woke up" to complete and utter silence. "Woke up" in quotation marks because he hadn't slept a minute, guilt weighing him down like a stone in his stomach refusing to let him fall asleep. He still felt awful about last night. Now that he'd had time to think things over he could perfectly understand why Grian was mad. He hadn't considered the consequences of his actions until then, and with every passing moment he just felt worse and worse about having done them. Perhaps he could make up for it today? But Grian doesn't want to see his face, especially this early in the morning. Maybe he'd just- get ready for the day and see where things went from there.</p><p>Even the guest rooms in this mansion looked to be adoringly furnished and made incredibly comfortable. The morning sunlight peeked through the curtains and shined onto the fancy furniture. The massive bed took up a lot of space, space which Mumbo used to toss and turn all night but never actually fell asleep.</p><p>By now his clothes had dried from the fall in the lake, but in the confrontation Mumbo had completely forgotten he was wet (ahEM I forgot he was wet) and just now remembered how comfortable dry clothes were. Looking around his room once he'd put on his suit he flinched at the sight of something moving in the corner of his eye. He cautiously turned to look at it and his nerves settled, it was just a cat sleeping on the comfy corner of the room… how long had it been there? This must've been the cat Grian was petting when they first met a few months back in the living room.</p><p>Mumbo walked up to the snoring feline and crouched to its level, scritching the back of its ears calmed him down "hey bud" he managed a tired smile. The cat replied by slowly opening its eyes for a moment, then closing them again as it leaned into the pet in his hand and started to purr. It was very calming to simply sit down there on the floor and let this kitty melt his worries away temporarily. The cat got up, stretched, then jumped down onto Mumbo's lap. He couldn't bite back a small "aww" as it settled comfortably, still leaning towards his hand with its head as if asking for more pets.</p><p>He didn't know how much time he spent there, probably about an hour or so since the cat had fallen asleep on his lap and he didn't dare wake it up twice in one day. The redstoner was fine with this though, it soothed his nerves and made him forget about the guilt that weighed on him. But eventually the calm came to an end as Mumbo heard footsteps up to his room and then a gentle knock "err… come in?" he murmured, dreading the response.</p><p>"It's like 11am, you should get going now. Also I want my cat back" Grian's voice grumbled through the barely open door.</p><p>"Get going?" The redstoner murmured "I don't even know where X's base is, can't I just-"</p><p>"No, you can't stay here. I let you one night because you were wet and cold and alone and I... I lied last night, I did feel a little bad for you. But now that everything that happened last night has become less foggy and settled in I have lost all sympathy for you. I need you to get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. House." the builder growled.</p><p>Mumbo opened his mouth to argue but shut himself up quickly, there was no way he was going to convince him to let him stay. He hesitantly picked the cat up and placed it on the floor, at which point it woke up again with a little mrow of complaint. Grian's gaze seemed to soften as he crouched down too and extended his arm to get the cat's attention.</p><p>"C'mere boy" he chirped, and the cat immediately turned around at the sound of it's owner's voice quickly strode back to the blonde hermit, pressing its head against his hand "did the big bad mustache man wake you up? Oh I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I'm sorry you had to sleep in the same room as this deplorable creature" Grian cooed, shooting Mumbo another icy glare, clearly intending the words for him more than for the cat.</p><p>"Okay, Okay, message received, you want me gone" Mumbo sighed, hoisting himself up "can you at least point me in the right direction?"</p><p>Grian groaned, got up, rummaged around some drawers and aggressively shoved a compass into the redstoner's arms "it's pretty much straight north from here, now leave" he huffed, crossing his arms.</p><p>"H-how long is the walk there gonna be?" He murmured, looking down at the flimsy compass.</p><p>"Hell if I know" The shorter hermit rolled his eyes "you'll find out when you get there"</p><p>"A-alright… I guess this is goodbye" Mumbo rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably "Are you sure you-"</p><p>"Yes I'm sure I don't want to come with you" Grian was already dragging him out of the room,. Before Mumbo knew it, the builder's small hands were already shoving him past the front door "Goodbye, hasta la vista, sayonara, au revoir, good riddance, I won't miss you" he was pushed outside and before he could even say a word back the door slammed in his face.</p><p>It took a few seconds for the shock from the abrupt goodbye to fizzle out and allow him to move again. He already felt lonely, travelling through the entire jungle by himself wasn't going to be very fun. The redstoner took a deep breath, gave the mansion door one last longing glance and started to walk north. He still had the shulker box full of carrots he'd taken from Iskall's tree stowed away in his pocket so he was covered on that front. Walking through the forest alone was equally calming and terrifying. The peaceful swaying jungle trees far above his head cast shadows on the dense vegetation he walked on, every step rewarded by a satisfying crunch of dead leaves in the messy dirt path. But since silence was the norm in the forest every little sound stood out and made him flinch. Every rustle in the bushes could be a little rabbit or a possible attacker.</p><p>Mumbo didn't realize until then how empty the jungle felt without someone else to fill in the silence, someone else to tease him when he stuttered or laugh when he inevitably tripped on a root. How sad it was to not feel someone else's shoulder by his own every stride. This was gonna be a long day…</p><p>And it was. It was a full day of walking and he was still in the jungle. The only thing he had to guide him was the old timey rickety compass that told him if he was going the right way. Mumbo had been left with nothing but his own thoughts who kept beating him down mentally for the stupid decision he'd made for the whole day. All day the only thing he could think of is how much he regretted it and how stupid he was for acting on it without considering how Grian would feel about it.</p><p>Now that the sun was setting and his legs were ready to give up for the day he started to look around for shelter for the night. This time it didn't come so easily though, he couldn't find any half-decent shelter in the vicinity. His search however was interrupted by a loud screech above his head. It made Mumbo flinch, and look straight up only to see bat-like creatures swirling above his head. His stomach flipped "uh oh, this is what I get for not sleeping" he murmured to himself, scrambling for the place where his sword would be and- ah, right, I don't have my tools here. Why was he making these mistakes now? One of the phantoms swooped down and bit down on Mumbo's arm only to swoop back up. On instinct he covered his head and tried his best to stay out of range but to no avail. He yelped at the pain that caught up with his adrenaline quickly, as he struggled to maintain composure. Looking up, another phantom swooped in, aiming for his neck. He braced himself for impact and-</p><p>Nothing. </p><p>The phantom dropped dead on the floor right next to him. Upon closer inspection there was an arrow right through its chest. Mumbo blinked slowly in confusion until a familiar voice emerged from the vegetation.</p><p>"Mumbo!" Iskall stepped out of the bushes, bow and arrow in hand "are you alright?" His somewhat panicked swedish voice called.</p><p>"Iskall?" He couldn't keep the surprise from his voice "honestly, could be doing better" another phantom dropped dead on the floor this time closer to him. He jumped backwards with a yelp and looked up at his swedish friend, but he hadn't even fired another arrow. This was all too much for Mumbo to process. The viking yanked him into the bushes by his bitten arm without a warning, presumably for protection. The swede quickly realized his mistake, muttered a quick sorry and wiped the bloodied hand on his hoodie. The bushes opened to a little clearing that the trees above their heads completely covered, almost like a tree cave.</p><p>"What are you doing here? We were going out for a late night shopping spree and heard phantoms and- wait, where's Grian?" Iskall said rather urgently.</p><p>"Iskall I can expl- hold on, did you say 'we'?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah it's-"</p><p>"Hold on did you just say "Mumbo"?" A peppy female voice came from behind him "Iskall are you going crazy?"</p><p>"Mumbo this is Stress, Stress this is Mumbo" Iskall hastily introduced as a hand gripped the redstoner's shoulder and yanked him to face the other way only to be met with Stress. She too, looked different. She was wearing sloppily applied pastel pink face paint and her flower crown was now made of sharp thorny roses instead of softer less threatening flowers. She was also wearing rose bracelets and had her sleeves torn and rolled up.</p><p>"err… hi"</p><p>"Oh. My. Gosh. I don't believe it!" Her eyes sparkled with a confused excitement "I thought you died-mrfrfmfmrmfm" Iskall slapped his hand on her mouth to cut her off but her muffled speech continued a few seconds after anyways.</p><p>"Shht, you're not supposed to say that!" The viking scolded in a loud whisper.</p><p>"It's alright Iskall, Ive been told" Mumbo sighed "you don't have to hide it anymore"</p><p>The swedish hermit breathed a sigh of relief "Are you taking it well?"</p><p>"Im… taking it better than Grian" the redstoner murmured.</p><p>"Uh oh, I don't like how that's phrased, what happened?"</p><p>"Long story" he replied simply.</p><p>"Hey? Hello? I exist too" Stress huffed once she swatted away Iskall's hand "how the heck are you alive? We missed you! You had us worried sick, Grian told us you died! Did he lie? I can't believe he would lie about something like that, he acted so sad too. Ugh, classic Gri-"</p><p>"Stress you can ask questions later, he's clearly tired" Iskall rolled his eyes "and to answer your question, no, we weren't planning on sleeping here but we can make a bedroom out of this little clearing since its safe from the phantoms"</p><p>"Wait are you guys… coming with me?" Hope sparked in Mumbo's chest, maybe he wouldn't have to go alone after all.</p><p>"Err…" Iskall looked at Stress as if he wanted her to answer but she just shrugged "We'll think about it. For now if we're gonna sleep here we better get a fire going, Stress could you go collect fuel? I wanna talk to Mumbo in private"</p><p>"Uhm okay?" She seemed confused but complied anyways, disappearing into the vegetation to look for wood and dead leaves. The viking the looked back up at Mumbo.</p><p>"Okay, tell me what happened" he semi-demanded, sitting down on the dusty floor and patting the ground next to him, inviting the redstoner to sit down too.</p><p>"He took me to Doc's bar and Doc told me the story…" Mumbo hesitated, then sat down and continued "I went outside to process everything but he came to calm me down and I… I…" he trailed off.</p><p>"What happened then?" Iskall prodded wearily.</p><p>"I kissed him" he whispered, almost to himself. The swede sucked in air through his teeth awkwardly. Based off of Iskall's reaction he seems to have gotten the point.</p><p>"Yikes… was he drunk?" Mumbo nodded silently "dang, yeah I can see why that pissed him off. That must've really hurt" he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck "So that's why he's not with you" Mumbo nodded again "well look on the bright side at least, I was right! You did like him! And he likes you back!" Iskall's attempt to lighten the mood didn't really work.</p><p>"No, he doesn't. He likes the other Mumbo back. not me" Mumbo murmured, his shoulders shrinking guiltily "What am I supposed to do now?" He drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face into them to hide it "He'll never forgive me"</p><p>"I don't know how unforgiving the Grian from your world is, but unless you did something truly awful like… like insulting his height, he'll forget about it the next day"</p><p>"It happened yesterday and today he kicked me out anyways" Mumbo sighed, laying down defeated on the floor and looking up at the oddly shaped tree roof above them.</p><p>"I was exaggerating. Look, you'll be fine. Besides, what's it matter what he thinks of you if you're gonna leave anyways?" Iskall waved his hand dismissively.</p><p>"Nooo you don't get it" The redstoner complained from the floor "I still like him, and I want him to like me. I want to take him with me to my world so we can stay together- gosh that sounds so sappy" he groaned.</p><p>"Thats… yeah I guess that's fair, in this case I don't know how to help you." The swedish hermit admitted with a sigh.</p><p>Before Mumbo could say anything else Stress popped out of the bushes carrying a bunch of wood with a proud grin on her face "I'm back~" she chirped in a sing-songy voice.</p><p>Iskall got to his feet and took half of the logs, then arranged them into a fire pit. Swiftly pulling out a flint and steel they quickly got a fire going, the smoke going up and through the thin barrier of leaves that protected them from the phantoms.</p><p>For beds they didn't really have much to work with, but the floor was comfier than just the cold hard stone of a cave. They spent the rest of the night telling stories and entertaining each other by the light of the fire.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Almost there</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gentle rustling in the cave woke Mumbo up. Swiftly opening his eyes and blinking away the sleepiness in alert for a threat he scanned their little clearing that had given the three hermits shelter for the night. What he found though almost made him chuckle though. Iskall had been backed into a corner by a little baby fox who was holding a block of diorite in its mouth. Its round eyes were staring straight at the frozen swedish hermit, as if it knew he didn't want it to get any closer.</p><p>"Come on friend, please be on your way, you don't need to come any closer" Iskall whispered, he seemed to not notice Mumbo has scrambled awake since he was so laser focused on the little fox "I don't want to wake anyone up, just please go away and we won't have a problem. I don't know how a fox got all the way to a jungle or how you got that diorite but I don't want anything to do with it"</p><p>The little fox tilted its head in confusion, it didn't seem to have any ill intent but it was merely curious. Mumbo finally let out a silent chuckle, amused. <em>Some things will never change, all Iskalls in the multiverse hate diorite</em> "I see you're in a bit of a pickle"</p><p>Iskall flinched at the sound of another voice but hope immediately sparked in his eyes "please get it away from me, I don't want it near me and it's got me completely cornered" he pleaded silently with a suppressed smile.</p><p>Mumbo had to stifle a full laugh, since Stress was still snoring peacefully not too far from them and he had no intention of waking her up. He slowly approached the small orange canine, and it quickly turned around to look at him with curiosity, its pretty blue eyes peeled off of Iskall and focused on him. This time it slowly and cautiously approached the redstoner instead of just staying still. Mumbo reached out and scratched it gently behind its ear once it got close and it cautiously backed off a bit then sniffed his hand. A few seconds of stillness from both of them was finally broken by the fox, when it dropped its diorite in favor of biting down on the redstoner's hand.</p><p>Mumbo was gonna yelp but Iskall was quick to slap a hand over his mouth and point at Stress as a reminder that she was still sleeping. The thing is its hard not to react when there’s still a fox biting on his hand. It was still a baby of course but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He swallowed a reaction and shook the little fox off gently, it let go of his hand and scampered away. They both gave a sigh of relief, they dealt with the ordeal without waking their friend up! They went for a high five but Mumbo quickly stopped himself, his hand was bleeding and he probably needed to bandage it.</p><p>Iskall gave one glance at the other's hand, nodded, got up to where he'd left his vest and scuffled around in its pockets for a minute before pulling out bandages. But as he was coming back he stepped on-</p><p>Snap!</p><p>A stick… Stress shot awake "whats going on?"</p><p>They both groaned "Dang it we almost had it!" Iskall huffed, back to normal volume.</p><p>-</p><p>"And then he kicked me out" Mumbo finished as the group was getting ready to leave their little den, picking their stuff up and getting everything they needed "then I was attacked by phantoms and you guys came to save me. There, you're all caught up" He explained quietly.</p><p>"Wow, yikes, you've been through a lot since I last saw you" Iskall murmured as the three of them continued through the jungle under the dappled sunlight blocked by the trees.</p><p>"I never though I'd get to talk to you again!" Stress said peppily "Even if you're not technically the same person we still missed you!"</p><p>"Y-yeah, thats the problem. I have my own world to get to but I don't want t-to leave this one behind" the redstoner stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck "I truly do believe you guys deserve a better life than this"</p><p>"Well thats your decision to make, we can't really help you with that" the swedish hermit admitted "we're just taking you to a place where you actually get to make the choice"</p><p>"I know, I know" he murmured somberly, indecision swirling around his head.</p><p>"Wait" Stress stopped and fell a little behind, as if she just realized something "why are we taking him to X Iskall? Does he… does he know?"</p><p>Iskall stopped and raised an eyebrow looking back "know what?"</p><p>"Does he know why X is mad at Grian specifically?" She murmured.</p><p>"...OH" he gasped in realization "Crap, you're right, dang it! Grian even told me and my mind just- argh! We probably shouldn't take him to X's, gosh Im so dumb..."</p><p>"What? Whats wrong?" Mumbo urged, panic sparking in his chest.</p><p>"Mumbo, we can't take you there, I'm sorry" Iskall turned back around, placing his hands firmly on Mumbo's shoulders "You're the reason why X hates Grian's guts, we can't take you there"</p><p>"What- what the heck are you talking about? What do I have to do with their feud?" His voice cracked with sudden anxiety.</p><p>"Before you died, you and X were working on something big together. We were never told what it was but it meant a lot to both of you. You mostly carried all the knowledge and when you died all that information was gone, and in X's eyes it was all Grian's fault" Stress hastily explained "even before you died Grian kept distracting you from working on the project so they already had a rivalry going on who could keep your attention. X with his project or Grian with his clearly obvious attempts to ask you out"</p><p>A blush spread on Mumbo's face but he tried to keep his nervous from his voice "I-I fail to see how this is relevant as to why I shouldn't go to X's, if anything wouldn't he want me to go there?"</p><p>"Dude, nothing X wants ends up good for anybody" Iskall insisted "If he finds out you're here then its bad news, he'll never let you go"</p><p>"Whats this thing Xisuma does thats so bad anyways?" Mumbo huffed "its my only way out of here, I can't not go"</p><p>But the other hermit's faces just scrunched up with confusion "who?" They said in unison.</p><p>"Err" weird "Xisuma? X? The guy we were just talking about?"</p><p>"Yeah we know who X is but who is Xisuma? What kind of name is that?" Stress huffed.</p><p>"Wait is X for you guys not an abbreviation for Xisuma?"</p><p>"What? No, X is just Evil X's nickname" Iskall murmured, confused.</p><p>"Wait- Evil X?" Thats like, the most blatantly bad name ever, yet it didn't ring a bell. "Guess he just goes by a different name here, weird"</p><p>"Well just saying what he HAS done wrong, he's the one who orders False around to kill innocents, he's the one who makes it hell for anyone starting out, he's the one who somehow keeps everyone mean. Of course, everyone's meanness is voluntary but he's the one who influenced it. He is not a good guy" The viking growled.</p><p>"Well what am I supposed to do if I don't go? What other options do I have?" Mumbo replied nervously "I have friends to get back to"</p><p>"You can stay with us! Iskall's base is one of the safest around, I'm sure you'll adjust! How do you even know he'll get you back to your friends?" Stress spoke up.</p><p>"I don't, but if he can't then probably nobody can" Mumbo murmured "I can't stay. I'm either leaving or I'll die trying"</p><p>"Mumbo, X is always bad news, even for us. I don't know about Stress but I can't come with you" Stress silently nodded from behind him.</p><p>"..." what was he supposed to say to that? "Alone again it is then" he sighed at last, turning back to the path trying hard not to look back.</p><p>"W-well good luck!" Stress called after him "hope you find what you're looking for"</p><p>-</p><p>Finally, after a few days of walking he stood at the front of X's massive bee-theme modern… city? Empire? Factory? Mumbo wasn't sure what the right word would be. It was far improved beyond the base he'd seen from Xisuma, the area crowded with buildings and farms that stretched far into the sky above the trees. It was just as impressive as everyone else's completed bases and as breathtaking but right now was not the time to sit there and admire it. Right now was the time to go inside and ask- no- <em>DEMAND</em> for help getting back home. Mumbo took a deep breath in, and out. He knew this building from the last time he'd been to Xisuma's, it was where he spent most of his time arranging imperfections in the world and making sure everything was in place. Something in Mumbo's gut told him this wouldn't be like that though.</p><p>He entered the building and there was a sign at the door he was expecting him to be. It said "If you need me, Im in the dark dome on the highest floor. Also if you're not me, then kindly get off my property before I force you out"<em>...rude</em>. He nervously started up the stairs since there was no elevator. The sound of his steps echoed through the narrow staircase, making him more nervous by the minute. The staircase finally ended and it opened up to a black dome about the size of a football field. It was lit up somehow despite there being no lights or windows, and on the other side was X, sitting on a dark throne. He was probably the most different in terms of appearance, his armor was now gray and extra features like his visor were a deep red. His dark eyes were staring right into Mumbo's, as if he'd been expecting him to arrive all day. Although he couldn't see the smile he could hear it in X's voice.</p><p>"Welcome back Mumbo Jumbo" his cold and oddly calm voice was distorted, but still somewhat sounded like Xisuma "We all missed you so much, it's been so long"</p><p>"H-hello" he stuttered, unable to keep the fear from his voice and from making his legs trembled "You m-must be X, right? I'm Mumb- wait you already knew that- I was wondering if you knew how to-"</p><p>"Yes, I know how to get you back home, yes I will help you" he interrupted, as soon as he got up from his seat a click was heard and throne sank into the ground, the hole quickly covered up by pistons "but before you go, I'm sure you're curious to know why you're even here in the first place. I've been keeping a close eye on you so I can guess you know part of the story"</p><p>Mumbo nodded very hesitantly "I w-would like to know why I'm here… sir"</p><p>"Oh please, just call me X. Sir is too formal" he said dismissively, his voice unnervingly welcoming "to tell you though Im gonna need a friend to help me tell the story first" he snapped his fingers to seemingly nobody but a few seconds later a part in the dome's floor opened up and brought a platform into visibility. What it brought made Mumbo's stomach sink like a rock.</p><p>There was Grian, his eyes filled with panic and hair ruffled like he'd been down there for a while against his will, laying on the floor with not much to do. He looked around to orientate himself at the sudden change in environment then narrowed his eyes at both of them, slowly backing up "Where the fuck am I? My worst nightmare? Please, X, kill me before I have to do any talking with either of you" He snarled.</p><p>"Good morning to you too Grian" X said with a more impatient tone "This is no nightmare, I just wanted to remind you that you couldn't escape your punishment that easily"</p><p>"Punishment?" Both Grian and Mumbo asked at the same time.</p><p>"Well of course. Grian ruined part of my life by killing Mumbo, so i ruined part of his by bringing him back" he chuckled tauntingly "What is a worse punishment than bringing back the person he loved so much that he thought he'd gotten over and arming him with the knowledge that said person is going to just toy with his feelings then leave again. It all went to plan so perfectly even I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting things to go this smoothly, I didn't even think you'd be heartless enough to kiss him on your own Mumbo, I had a backup plan ready to force you but I guess that's just how the crumpet crumbles" X chuckled, making Mumbo's shoulders shrink down in shame.</p><p>Grian stared at X blankly, his wings slowly puffing up like the bristling fur of a cat but he didn't say anything. Mumbo however did have things to say "What an awful thing to do! Thats so cruel, what did he do to deserve this?"</p><p>"First of all, <em>I'm</em> cruel? You're the one who toyed with his feelings in the first place, all I did was bring you here" he started calmly "but to answer your question, he killed my source of information for a huge project that was going to change the course of this world. Grian ruined it, Mumbo had everything I needed but now he's dead. I've been looking for a way to get back at him every since"</p><p>"W-what was this huge project anyways?" Mumbo murmured.</p><p>He was wearing a helmet but his smirk still showed "portals to other worlds, worlds like yours, and Mumbo's death was a setback for sure, but I figured it out."</p><p>"A setback huh?" Grian's voice finally spoke up, making them both turn towards him "so thats all he was to you, a hurdle. All this time I though at least an inch of your body felt sad for him but he was <em>just a setback</em>" he snarled, getting up to his feet "and you have the fucking gut to drag me here against my will just to make me watch as he leaves me again"</p><p>"Yes, that is exactly what I've done, you seem to be the last one here to realize" X raised an eyebrow, this situation was merely amusing to him.</p><p>Grian finally looked up at the admin, Mumbo had never seen that level of hatred in his glare. The builder pulled out a trident and a sword, and swiftly shoved the sword into Mumbo's arms "I still hate you, but if you help me take down this shithead I'll reconsider" he offered, not peeling his eyes off of X.</p><p>"Y-you want me to kill him? But he said he'd help me get home…"</p><p>"Exactly" with another snap of X's finger, another panel from the ground opened and brought up a nether-looking portal, but what was on the other side just looked like a normal overworld, except he could recognize one of the builds… his base! It was right there, the portal home! "As soon as you go through it will close right behind you, you'll never have to worry about us again"</p><p>Mumbo stepped towards the portal but he felt a yank on his shoulder, Grian's eyes were pleading him to stay "please, I can't win by myself" he murmured.</p><p>The redstoner hesitated. He could just leave and not risk his life, go home to his family and friends, and it was what his brain was telling him to do. But his heart screamed otherwise, stay and help Grian, the portal will still be there when they're done right?</p><p>Mumbo's grip on the sword's handle tightened "a-alright, I'll help you"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. I've always wanted to do this</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>X looked between Grian and Mumbo in amused disbelief "Are you seriously about to refuse going back to your friends and family for him?" X chuckled "My plan worked better than I thought, you two really did fall back in love. Now you two are gonna die together, this is what you get when you mess with my plans"</p><p>"Choose your last words carefully" Grian growled anger sparkling in his eyes as he adjusted the grip on his glowing trident "You've put me through too much and there's no way in hell I'll spare you" the builder's said, pacing quietly to match every single one of his opponent's steps.</p><p>"A-and Im here too" Mumbo murmured, holding his sword up to his chest. He wasn't much of a fighter but he would do his best. Just the concept of fighting was making his legs tremble like crazy.</p><p>"Alright then, if a fight is what you want then a fight is what you'll get" X chuckled, pulling out his own glowing blue sword "but I warn you Mumbo, I won't feel guilty if you don't make it home tonight. I gave you the opportunity to leave and you refused it"</p><p>Mumbo shuffled closer to Grian "I might not make it home, but at least I'll die by his side"</p><p>"That was the sappiest shit I've ever heard" Grian was clearly suppressing a smile, trying really hard to stay serious.</p><p>"I'm sorry I'm too-" he was cut off by X lunging at them, but Grian swiftly shoved the redstoner out of the way and blocked the admin's slash with his trident. Certainly startled Mumbo scrambled to his feet and pulled X off of his friend and quickly blocked the incoming slash with his own sword.</p><p>Mumbo continued to react to each slash with pure instinct, not even his own decision making. It was like a weird choreographed deadly dance, every slash was strategically blocked until it wasn't. X's blade knocked Mumbo's out of his hand and into the air, and it was expertly caught in his other hand. Great, now he has two swords. X shoved the redstoner to the floor and pinned him with one foot on the chest, and looked like he was about to straight up kill him until there was scuffling behind him, the sound of Grian getting to his feet. X swiftly stabbed one of the swords through Mumbo's hand and sticking it on the floor, so that he was incapacitated. All he could do was yelp in pain, as his hand was now stuck to the floor. Mumbo watched as X removed his foot and turned back to Grian. The pain was numbed because of the adrenaline but it was sure to kick in soon.</p><p>The instant X turned around Grian thrust the trident into his chest but the admin seemed unaffected. Once the builder yanked back his weapon he took a portion of the X's armor with him "did you forget I have armor?" he taunted, raising a leg and kicking the shorter hermit in the gut and making him stumble to the ground. He raised his sword and Mumbo could do nothing but watch. It happened in a split second and it took Mumbo a few seconds to realize what had happened.</p><p>X had stabbed Grian in the chest, but in a swift move Grian had inserted his trident straight into the other's now armorless chest too. They were at a deadly stalemate and neither seemed to dare to move. </p><p>And then there was silence for a minute. Complete quiet as the fighting stopped.</p><p>After a few seconds of shocked stares, one of them finally spoke, and it was Grian "Ah, well at least I'll know I took you down with me, dickhead" he chuckled, his voice already sore.</p><p>"The feeling is mutual" X replied, and a few seconds later they both fell to the floor unconcious. Mumbo finally reacted, yanking the sword out of his hand and ignoring the awful, awful pain it sent through his body "Grian!" He called, tears pricking his eyes he shoved X's body off his friend, but there was still hope. Raspy and barely audible puffs were still coming from the hermit. He shoved all logic away and picked up Grian's body, and sprint towards the still open portal, leaving Xisuma behind.</p><p>The journey back to his world was instant, the portal led right besides the bed in his hobbit hole and it quickly closed behind them. He didn't have time to be glad to be home, he didn't have time go ask for help. The redstoner swiftly laid his friend down on his bed and pretty much dove into his chests looking for… there it is! He pulled out a potion of health regeneration out of his chest wall then hurried back to the bedside, popping it open and doing what could only be described as forcing the pink milky liquid down Grian's throat, and since he was unconscious and his throat was giving up it wasn't very hard. Mumbo's movements were shaky and erratic, and he was pretty much limited to one hand but he did his best. </p><p>The sheets were covered in blood, everything his hand touched was covered in blood because oh yeah right there's a <em>bloody hole in his hand</em>. Luckily he remembered there were bandages in his ender chest, he firmly wrapped them around his hand, that would have to do for now. </p><p>Over the next few minutes he did his best to carefully remove the sword from his friend's chest and bandage the quickly healing wound thanks to the effect of the potion. He was still alive, but Mumbo had no idea if X had hit any vital organs that would cause trouble later on. </p><p>While trying to rebandage his hand for the fourth time and slowly pulling the blood soaked bandage off, he heard a scuffle from the bottom part of his base. Before he could say anything his Grian and his Iskall scrambled out of the ladder hole with incredulous faces.</p><p>"You see? I told you I heard someone in here!" Iskall's eyes lit up, while Grian looked like he was about to implode with excitement.</p><p>"MUMBO YOU'RE BACK--<em>OH MY GOD WHAT ON EARTH</em>" Grian went in for a hug but immediately stumbled away the instant he looked past his shoulder and saw the unconscious Grian on his bed.</p><p>"Guys I can explain-"</p><p>"Who the hell is that?" Grian seemed very disturbed.</p><p>"And why is your hand bleeding so much? And where the heck have you been for the past few months?" Iskall added.</p><p>"Look there's a reasonable explanation for all of this-"</p><p>"There better be, because you had us worried sick for months then silently come back with a bleeding unconscious Grian and a hole in your hand" The swedish hermit huffed.</p><p>Mumbo opened his mouth to respond, but a weak groan from behind him immediately shut him up. Hope fluttered in Mumbo's chest and everything else seemed to fade away as he quickly turned back to look at his friend, who slowly opened his eyes.</p><p>"What the fuck- I'm alive? Shiiit where am I?" Grian's voice was raspy and drowsy, as if it didn't fit into his mind to read the room yet.</p><p>"Grian!" Mumbo threw his arms around the small builder desperately, yanking him into a sitting position on the bed which only received a pained groan of complain "You're alive!" The redstoner was on the verge of tears already.</p><p>"I- heh, I guess I am" Grian tiredly patted Mumbo's back "well thats one hell of a story to tell at parties, I doubt anyone can one-up 'I was literally fucking stabbed'" he snickered, but then the drowsiness seemed to wear off a bit. Grian gently grabbed Mumbo's arms and untangled himself from the hug.</p><p>The stare the builder was giving Mumbo could almost burn holes through his soul. It was a mixture of gratefulness, guilt, and anger. </p><p>"why… why did you save me?" The flipside hermit murmured wearily.</p><p>"I-... because you're…" Mumbo's sentences trailed off before they even started. He gathered all his guts to finally say it "because I love you, and even if I'm not the person you want me to be, that won't stop me" he murmured shyly, looking down at the floor as he shifted to sit comfortably at the edge of the bed.</p><p>Grian's eyes kept boring into him as they started to water, tears silently flowing down his cheeks with tiny sniffles trying to interrupt his voice "go talk to your friends, I need a minute" he whispered, drawing his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his hands.</p><p>"Yes hi hello? What on earth is going on Mumbo?" The other Grian repeated, this time louder to snap Mumbo out of his mind "why have I been stabbed? Most importantly why is there another me?"</p><p>The redstoner awkwardly looked back at the architecs and sighed "lets take this outside, I think he needs space and I probably have a lot of explaining to do" he murmured, looking back at his friends who just gave each other a worried look then hesitantly nodded, following the redstoner just outside.</p><p>-</p><p>"Wait so let me get this right, you've just now realized how awkward it is for me when you're telling me you kissed-... someone who looks just like me but isn't me at all?" Grian huffed<br/>
(And by that he means I'VE just realized)</p><p>"To be honest, yeah" Mumbo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly "but in my defense, the whole time I was there in the back of my mind I didn't think I'd ever make it back here, so I wasn't considering the implications it would have here"</p><p>"Well whatever you were doing over there, I'm glad you're back!" Iskall slung his arm around his friend "you have no idea how much we missed you!"</p><p>"Well, I missed you guys too" Mumbo admitted with a huff, his eyes sparkling as he looked back up at his unfinished base "and my base, I missed my base also. It's so good to be home" </p><p>"We should go tell the others!" Grian suggested "X, Stress and Doc have been trying their best to get you back for ages!" </p><p>"Good idea. Mumbo, you take care of edgy swearing Grian while we go fetch the others" Iskall strapped on his elytra peppily, which gave Mumbo another spark of excitement remembering that he was going to be able to fly again.</p><p>"A-alright, don't be long" the redstoner smiled softly, already starting to back away before the two architecs pulled him into a tight hug.</p><p>"Nuh-uh, you're not getting away without a hug, we have to make up for months worth of them" Grian chuckled. </p><p>"Yeah fair enough" although the air was kind of getting knocked out of him he kept from complaining to please his friends. They said their goodbyes pulled away, and took off, Grian with his wings and Iskall with his firework rockets. Mumbo took a deep breath and headed back inside, still trying to recover the air in his lungs.</p><p>"Your friends seem nice" he heard flipside Grian comment from his bed as Mumbo scrambled up the stairs to the main part of the starter base. He seemed to have wiped his tears away but was still quietly curled up in a ball "Must be weird for the other Grian if you told them the full story"</p><p>"Yeah, it was" Mumbo murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed "are you- do you need anything?"</p><p>"Water would be nice" he replied quietly, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket.</p><p>Mumbo silently complied, bringing his friend a bottle of fresh water. It was kind of awkward now. Things weren't aggressive between them but they weren't peachy perfect either. Mumbo was the first to speak up.</p><p>"Well… what now?"</p><p>Grian raised an eyebrow "what do you mean?"</p><p>"What are you going to do now" Mumbo murmured, leaning on the bed frame " the portal is closed, you're kind of stuck here"</p><p>"I don't fuckin know, guess I have to just… get used to this until we find out how to fix it" </p><p>The mustachioed hermit sighed, running his hand through his own raven black hair "I've had a lot of time to think while waiting for you to wake up, I'm surprised I made it here alive too to be honest"</p><p>"Well don't give yourself too much credit, I was the one who was stabbed in the chest mate" the builder leaned back down on the bed "But to actually answer your question, I… don't know. I already miss my Iskall which-let me say is extremely ironic- but I don't know. I've been here for less than an hour and the atmosphere is so much nicer. Besides, I hate to admit it, but I don't want to cut ties with you" he muttered "even though you've done some fucked up shit I still like being around you- god what is wrong with me?"</p><p>"Are you saying I'm forgiven?" Mumbo prompted hesitantly.</p><p>"Not fully. I don't think you'll ever be fully forgiven if I'm honest" the shorter hermit sighed "in that moment I got stabbed, I realized something as my life flashed before my eyes. Holding grudges can be just as damaging as it seems beneficial, of course I realize that the instant the conflict in my mind is resolved because I'm about to die but that's besides the point" he waved his hand dismissively "what I'm saying is, what's the point of staying mad at you when everything is fine now? In those few seconds I somehow became at peace with myself, because my brain felt like it had to make peace before inevitable oblivion and give meaning to everything I'd done- jeez that got dark…"</p><p>"..." It took Mumbo a few seconds to choose the right words for his question "Do you really mean that? Were you just instantly at peace once you felt like you were gonna die?"</p><p>"Not until I made that last snide remark in X's face, then I felt at peace" he snickered "I dunno, it felt like my brain needed to justify my existence before I bit the bullet"</p><p>"Well, I'll never be fully forgiven, but can we still y'know…" The redstoner murmured cautiously.</p><p>The builder sighed and smiled softly "just because I can't forgive you doesn't mean I don't love you back" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck "it might be a bit rocky and it won't be easy but… do you wanna date? After all, if I don't expect my partner to ever slip up then I'll just end up dying alone"</p><p>Mumbo's heart skipped a beat and quietly nodded "of course I do" he had the biggest dumbest grin on his face, so much that it was hurting the edges of his mouth to hold it.</p><p>Grian grinned too "Cool, I've always wanted to do this"</p><p>"Wait wh-" Mumbo didn't get time to finish his sentence before Grian closed the gap between their lips in one swift move. The only problem was that it didn't go very smoothly, the builder overshot and they bonked heads really hard, so after a few seconds of brief kiss they broke apart "hey! Warn me first!" Mumbo huffed, rubbing his forehead. Yet despite his frustrated furrowed brows, his face was pretty much on fire, and his chest's fluttering probably wouldn't stop until it happened again.</p><p>Grian on the other hand broke down into a fit of drowsy giggles for a bit before composing himself but failing to wipe the amusement from his face "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but in my defense, I just woke up. You got the point I was trying to convey though"</p><p>"Hm, not quite, I think I need you to explain it again" Mumbo chuckled.</p><p>"I'm on board with th-" the builder cut himself off suddenly, now alert in the flip of a switch "did you… did you hear that?" </p><p>"H-hear what?" The redstoner's voice cracked, then quieted down. There was weird crackling noise coming from somewhere in the base. Right in front of them a spark of energy on the wall where the portal had closed behind them, the wood slowly tore open, causing them both to yelp and stumble back. On the other side of the newly formed portal a bone-chillingly familiar voice now groggy, almost as if it was a corpse speaking.</p><p>"You're alive?" X croaked furiously from the portal, blood still dripping from his chest where the trident had been. Sure enough, the portal behind him led back to the dome.</p><p>"<em>Y-...YOU'RE ALIVE?</em>" Grian replied in a snarl, pressing his back against the bed frame "how the hell? You didn't get any medical treatment!"</p><p>"One you realize tridents are just skinny forks and that you pretty much missed all my vital organs it was pretty easy to get back on my feet" he teased menacingly, raising the sword he'd presumably used to stab Mumbo's hand, which still had semi-dried blood dripping off of it "any last words, lovebirds?"</p><p>"Behind you" Grian said with a deadpan.</p><p>"Huh?" </p><p>"<em>Behind you</em>" the builder repeated emotionlessly, but finally cracked a smile. </p><p>"What are you-argh!" From Mumbo's point of view, X was just stabbed by a ghost sword from the back. Upon closer inspection, once the sword had retracted and X's body dropped to the side the culprit was smiling triumphantly.</p><p>"Iskall!" Both hermits yelped.</p><p>"You guys are alright!" Iskall exclaimed with a sigh of relief, putting the sword down "I-I'm so sorry Mumbo, I should've come with you here, I- you could've gotten more hurt and halfway back to my base I was already drowning in guilt for letting you go alone!" </p><p>"You saved us!- ow my chest" Grian almost scrambled to hug his friend but after a flinch he hesitantly returned to the bed. It looks like even if the healing potion had sealed the wound it would take a while to fully fade away "Yeah I guess that makes sense"</p><p>"No Iskall, it's fine, you made a perfectly reasonable decision not to come and possibly get yourself killed." Mumbo assured, but his eyes led him down to the floor where X lay there pretty much bleeding out "what… what should we do with him?"</p><p>"Well I don't think there's any saving him, sorry, I just acted on instinct" the viking admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly clearly trying to avoid looking at his past admin "Anyways, come on Grian lets get home, Stress is waiting just outside the dome" Iskall urged.</p><p>"Home?" His voice was almost incredulous "Bitch I'm home here already"</p><p>The swedish hermit looked around wearily "this world already has a Grian, I don't know about this. Now that X isn't here we can make everything better!"</p><p>"Awh hell fucking no, you can't pay me to go back through that portal without him" the builder snarled, grabbing Mumbo's non-injured hand and forcefully yanking it closer to his side of the bed "or even with him for the matter, I'm staying here"</p><p>"Grian…" Iskall trailed off. He didn't seem unable to find an argument, just unable to find a way to convince the stubborn builder at all, and Mumbo couldn't blame him.</p><p>"Why can't we just… keep the portal open?" The redstoner suggested to break the quiet.</p><p>The other two hermits looked at each other, then back at him expectantly "how do you suggest we do that?"</p><p>"Well it clearly can't close when there's something in the way, as long as there's something holding it open I think it'll be fine" Mumbo got up to demonstrate but was stopped by Grian who was still firmly holding his hand. The builder caught himself a few seconds too late and let go with an apologetic glance. The redstoner silently picked up X and put him at the portal like a door stop "alright Iskall now if you step off-" the swedish hermit quietly stepped away from the portal hesitantly and it stayed open "there we go!"</p><p>"Yeah but maybe we should find a better door stop" Grian pointed out "If its gonna stay there a rotting corpse as a door stop wouldn't be very inviting" the other two nodded in agreement. Mumbo quickly shuffled into his chest storage, pulled out a piece of bamboo and placed in the rift between worlds before slowly removing X's body from it "damn it, now the portal has blood all over it" </p><p>"We can clean that later-"</p><p>Suddenly a german voice from behind them made them all jump "Woah yeah alright when I heard it from Iskall and Grian of all people I didn't believe it but what the heck am I looking at?" Doc's voice made all three of them turn around, startled. A cluster of hermits were clambering up the staircase with worried and very confused glances.</p><p>"Guys" Mumbo sighed "I can explain…"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAAAAND DONE!<br/>This is the end of the main story- thats all folks! I had a lot of fun rewriting this. I will also rewrite the epilogue so keep your eyes peeled for that!<br/>I appreciate each and every comment, they all mean the world to me! Thank you all for the support and for being interested in my silly little idea. You can go visit my amino page if you wanna see the art I've made for it- I'm not the greatest artist but I'm kinda proud of some of the stuff there. https://aminoapps.com/c/hermitcraft-amino/page/user/foop/Pnk1_3nFPfwo4YwpkZDvE3w8mXZzXEJgvj<br/>Again, thank you so much for the support, wash your hands and have a nice day! Cya when I post the epilogue</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>God this is the gayest shit I've ever written<br/>Also innuendo warning ig Im sorry I couldn't pass it up-</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hello everyone" Overworld Mumbo greeted the flipside hermits politely. He was met with silence, a few eyerolls and silent whispers between the alternate group of hermits. He sighed "if you're here that probably means that you want to fit into our wonderful second world, but for that, some things need to change"</p><p>The flipside hermits looked around at everyone else on the table, a few chuckles directed at the redstoner's insecure voice.</p><p>"As you probably know, Im Mumbo, I'll be guiding you through orientation with my partner-"</p><p>"I'm Grian and I have a knife in my pocket so if any of you fuckers act up, you're getting it, capiche?" Flipside Grian interrupted with a growl.</p><p>"Yeah- wait what? Grian no you're not gonna stab anyone!"</p><p>"...I'm not? ):"</p><p>One of the other Flipside hermits spoke up, it was Jevin whos design I haven't come up with yet "I thought you said Grian changed for the better, but threatening murder is a very Grian thing to do" </p><p>Grian looked like he would've picked a fight right then and there if Mumbo hadn't firmly put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder to remind him to stay composed "he's different… deep down"</p><p>"(Hi yes hello, author's note, this joke used to suck, thank me later)" Flipside Cleo clipped in, and the whole table burst into laughter. Mumbo didn't get it, but Grian's face went cherry red presumably out of embarrassment. He shifted uncomfortably waiting for the laughter to die down, squeezing his hand a bit.</p><p>"A-alright" that quip seemed to have melted away Grian's confidence "shut the fuck up" he huffed, unable to wipe the intense blush from his face.</p><p>"Anyways" Mumbo picked up again "all of you come with me, we're taking a class on how to be nice to people, and for that I will need your cooperation okay?" The mustached man spoke slowly so that his words wouldn't jumble together. He looked at his audience expectantly.</p><p>There were a couple of grumbles of complaint audible, but it caught his attention that two of them raised their hands asking for a turn to talk.</p><p>"Erm, okay, Scar do you have a question?" Mumbo called.</p><p>"Uh yeah I-I uhm… do I have to take the nice people class?" The tall hermit asked shyly.</p><p>Mumbo looked down at Grian with a questioning glance, the winged hermit thought about it for a moment, then shook his head "nope, you're good. So are Stress and Iskall" </p><p>The mentioned hermits got up from their chairs with an exhale of relief, much to the distaste of the crowd.</p><p>"Why are they excused?" Tango huffed.</p><p>"Because they're already nice people and you guys are still assholes" Grian replied bluntly.</p><p>"How do you know th-" Zed began but stopped as Grian casually pulled out the pocket knife and started to toy with it "...nevermind"</p><p>"Bdubs what's your question?" Mumbo asked, silently confiscating his boyfriend's knife. The only reaction from Grian was an offended scoff as he grumpily crossed his arms.</p><p>"Yes ok hi hello, can't we do this individually? I don't wanna spend any more time than I have to with him" Bdubs spat, pointing a finger at Doc.</p><p>Doc gave a low growl in response "I won't say I agree but I wouldn't mind if that change was made"</p><p>"We're not made of time here Bdubs, we can't do it individually" Mumbo replied firmly.</p><p>Bdubs groaned and Doc rolled his eyes "If Bdubs has been torn to shreds by the end of orientation dont say we didn't warn you" he hybrid huffed.</p><p>"I- please do not tear anyone to shreds" Mumbo sighed defeatedly.</p><p>"Reminder that we still have that knife" Grian added.</p><p>"A knife which I won't give back and we won't use because we went over how violence wasn't the answer at least 20 times already" Mumbo replied with gritted teeth, side-eyeing the blonde. </p><p>"Can we make it 21 if you give it back? Please?" The winged builder proposed, leaning on Mumbo's side with the best puppy eyes he could muster.</p><p>"Ha! You're funny" Mumbo smirked, much to Grian's disappointment "alright let's go give that tour, get up we don't have all day"</p><p>-</p><p>Grian collapsed into his boyfriend's IBBBBBBBBIBI's bed, at the end of the day they were both exhausted from having to babysit the flipsides all day.</p><p>"Remind me to murder Cleo for that joke at the start" Grian's grumble was muffled by the pillow on his face.</p><p>"I didn't get the joke but if it embarassed you I can tell her off if you want" Mumbo replied quietly, shrugging his blazer off and setting it down on the table next to the bed.</p><p>"No, don't, knowing her I'll never hear the end of it" he huffed "god I'd forgotten how much I hated being around those people"</p><p>"Hey! That's not the right attitude, give them a chance I'm sure they'll change" Mumbo insisted, settling down on the other side of the bed.</p><p>Grian sat up with a gentle sympathetic smile "where do you get that kind of positivity?" He murmured genuinely, silently combing his wings.</p><p>"Well what do I gain from being mean?" Mumbo replied gently, pulling the other wing towards him and helping him comb it. Grian didn't complain, the only acknowledgment was a silent content hum.</p><p>"Being mean is funny" Grian shrugged.</p><p>"So it validates your meanness when I laugh at your jokes then?" Mumbo rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Yes, very much so, keep laughing at them otherwise I'll feel bad" the builder chuckled, stopping from grooming his own wing and leaning into the mustached man's gentle touch, letting him take over preening duty.</p><p>"If it makes you feel better" once the feathers were in place Mumbo changed his hand motions to soothing strokes, making the winged hermit melt into him and rest his head on the redstoner's lap. He looked up at him with admiring blue eyes.</p><p>"Can I say something really sappy?" Grian asked, fighting a stupid grin from twisting his face.</p><p>"The floor is yours" Mumbo smiled, leaning back on the wall.</p><p>"I don't know where I'd be without you, really" Grian hummed quietly, another content sigh escaped his lips as Mumbo's hands undid a knot in his wings "You have no clue how fortunate I feel that I…" he trailed off. <em>That I get a second chance</em>. He couldn't say that, it would ruin the moment, thankfully Mumbo didn't seem to decipher it "that I'm with you" he finished.</p><p>"Wow, yeah you were right, that was really sappy" Mumbo chuckled pulling his hands away from the feathers as he slipped under the covers "I'm gonna sleep, so should you" he murmured, turning off the lights.</p><p>"Normally I'd resist but I've done too much today to stay up" Grian grumbled, getting under the blankets too. A satisfying warmth spread to his chest as Mumbo's drowsy arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer, they slotted in together perfectly like two pieces in a puzzle. In this position it didn't take long for Grian to drift off into sleep.</p><p>-</p><p>Flipside Grian wearily looked around, he didn't remember falling asleep on the roof of his mansion, or coming to his mansion at all. The twinkling stars above his head gave him a pretty good idea of what time it was… night. This was definitely his own mansion, not the other Grian's. He cautiously looked around but flinched when something lightly tugged at his cape. With a hard gulp to swallow his fear, he turned around to see something less than expected.</p><p>His Mumbo, not the one he should be sleeping in bed with at the base, <em>his</em> Mumbo, with the red star markings on his face that mirrored his own. There was a strange fogginess to the figure, and it was hovering an centimeter or two off of the ground. Red sparkly particles followed his every move. Grian stumbled back immediately, clumsily falling backwards onto the dark prismarine floor. In a flurry of thoughts he started to drag himself away while not breaking eye contact, but the ghostly figure of his friend just smiled and stayed there, as if waiting for him to calm down.</p><p>"W-what are you doing here?" Grian croaked, tears pricking the corners of his eyes "I'm supposed to be over you, y-you're not real, get out of my head" he stuttered.</p><p>But the figure just waited patiently, the gentle and calm smile remaining on its face "If you calm down and let me talk to you I can explain" it was then Grian realized how much he missed that voice, despite it only being slightly different to the Mumbo he had now.</p><p>The builder shakily nodded, grounding himself through the panic haze his breathing slowed, at the price of tears freely flowing down his cheeks "w-wh-why are you here?" He repeated, a little less demandingly.</p><p>"I'm here so you can make peace. I know you still blame yourself for what happened" the ghostly Mumbo took a few steps forward.</p><p>"W-well yeah" he croaked, tremble still prevalent in his voice and occasionally being choked by sobs "it was my fault, I was the one wh-who insisted on flying that… t-that day"</p><p>"Yes, you did, I'm not saying it's not your fault" Mumbo said calmly, pacing gently towards him "it was your fault, but I'm not angry"</p><p>Grian sat in silence for a bit, the only sound he emitted was the occasional sob and sniffle as he stared down at his hands. Finally he found his voice to speak again "You're not real, are you?" He murmured at last "I can't ever truly make peace with you, this is a dream. You're just telling me what I want to hear"</p><p>"Maybe I am" the figure offered his hand to help him up off the ground, which Grian hesitantly took and hoisted himself up. It didn't feel like skin though, there was clearly something there but it felt like gripping onto empty space. "But letting that realization affect this dream is up to you, I'm just trying to help"</p><p>"Well I will let it affect this dream, and I'll ask you to please wake me up. Even if you're just my imagination it still hurts when I look at you" the builder said with a shaky sigh.</p><p>"I'm afraid you're stuck here for a bit, I can't really do much to wake you up mate. We might as well go for a walk, it's a beautiful night" Mumbo offered politely "I'd like to talk with you"</p><p>Grian hesitated again, then wearily shook his head "I told you, I don't want to be around you. I'm over you, there's more important people in my life now, sorry"</p><p>"Well if you're over me then how come you're dreaming of me?" He said calmly "your head clearly wants you to do this"</p><p>"My head might want to, but I don't" he grumbled, crossing his arms "it'll just make me feel worse"</p><p>"If you really wanna be over me then you'll come for this walk" the foggy redstoner said a bit more firmly, gently raising his hand to hold the builder's cheek and wipe away some tears "C'mon, it won't be that bad"</p><p>"...fine" he huffed, pink dusting his cheeks. God dammit, I'd forgotten I liked you…</p><p>"I can hear your thoughts Grian, this is a dream" Mumbo replied with a soft chuckle "I'd be flattered if I was real" he said, gently starting to float above the ground "follow me, I'm sure a nature walk will do you better than anything" </p><p>Grian covered his embarrassment with a grumble under his breath before spreading his wings and starting to gently glide behind the Mumbo ghost, who led him down to the front of the mansion and into the peaceful, dark jungle highlighted by the moonlight.</p><p>"Can I ask you something Grian?" Mumbo started patiently.</p><p>"You're in my head, you know what I'll answer" Grian replied grumpily, following the ghost's careful steps through the dense forest.</p><p>"Awh come on, humour me for a minute" the redstoner replied with a smile that made Grian's heart thud just a little faster.</p><p>"Fine, what do you want"</p><p>"Do you genuinely think if you hadn't chosen to fly that day, everything would've been fine?" Mumbo asked flatly.</p><p>"...well yeah, I guess. You wouldn't have died, I would've been able to confess my feelings and everything would've turned out fine" he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.</p><p>"But you wouldn't have met the Mumbo you're sharing a bed with right now huh?" </p><p>"No but…" he trailed off and stopped walking, Mumbo stopped too and turned to face him "but I would be with you, right?"</p><p>"I dunno, in your head you like to believe I liked you back but it's not like I ever confessed" the ghost shrugged "we'll never know if your affection was one sided, but you can convince yourself it wasn't. Come to think of it I was quite a bit closer with Iskall. Did you never notice me perk up when he came into the room or blush when he'd make a comment about me? Eh why am I even asking, I know you saw it, you just chose to ignore it"</p><p>Grian stared at the redstoner blankly, at those brown eyes he'd gotten lost in so many times before. He was right, Grian would never know if Mumbo returned his feelings. Even though he was dreaming he could feel his stomach twist with realization. His words got caught in his throat, nothing came out of his mouth even though there were so many things he wanted to say. The ghost's expression softened.</p><p>"It's alright, what I was trying to say is that you shouldn't feel guilty when the past is in the past. It turned out fine, you have someone else now-" </p><p>The ghost was interrupted by Grian balling up his fist and swinging it at him. Not taking into account common sense, the dreaming hermit phased right through him. He fell chin first into the floor and quickly got up. He looked like he was about to go again, but was interrupted by a sob.</p><p>Tears started flowing down his face again, suppressed sobs and sniffles were the only sounds he could make. Mumbo gently wrapped his arms around the builder and pulled him into a hug, drawing comforting circles gently on his back.</p><p>"Shhh, it's okay, you can cry, this may be your mind but you can still let it all out" and with that comforting comment Grian stopped stifling it and let himself cry into his friend's shoulder. No complaints from either of them, just a silent moment of vulnerability that was met with the utmost gentleness. It was nice, even if it was all in Grian's head. After a few minutes the felt someone shake his shoulders, and a distant call of his name thundering from somewhere up in the sky. They broke apart and Mumbo smiled "I'll let him be the one to comfort you, just don't keep burying your feelings. Your partner will hear you out" Mumbo said with a gentle smile. Before Grian could respond he was woken up by Mumbo, back in their bed, an incredibly concerned look on his face.</p><p>"Grian? Are you okay?" The spoon blurted out worriedly "we were cuddling and then you started crying in your sleep and muttering things like 'its all my fault'"</p><p>Grian silently sat up without responding. Sure enough his pillow and face were wet with tears. It took his eyes a little to be able to see in the darkness, it was still the middle of the night. Looking at Mumbo, his eyes were desperate and shining with concern, still tightly holding his hand. There were a few more beats of silence before Grian spoke "I need a hug" he croaked silently, and without hesitation his partner pulled him into the tightest hug he'd ever given, so much that it knocked the wind out of the short builder "soften it up a little, I can't breathe" Grian gasped, and his partner apologetically complied</p><p>"Sorry, sorry" Mumbo said hastily "care to tell me what's wrong?" He murmured, comfortingly running his fingers through the builder's dirty blonde hair.</p><p>"I…" the sentence trailed off before it even began, he needed to pick his words carefully. It took a few seconds of consideration and burying his face in his partner's shoulder to… help him concentrate for him to finally speak. "I had a bad dream"</p><p>"Are you comfortable with sharing what happened?" Mumbo murmured gently "if you don't wanna we can just stay like this, I'll stay up until sunlight comforting you if I have to"</p><p>"Awh, you're so sweet you're gonna give me diabetes" he chuckled, glad he was still able to make himself laugh at times like these "I… in the dream the uhh… other Mumbo visited me"</p><p>"Oh?" His partner seemed to flinch "wh-what did he say?"</p><p>"Well it wasn't really... Mumbo as much as it was my head trying to comfort itself, and it brought up the possibility that…" he trailed off for a bit before picking up again "that Mumbo didn't like me back, and I've been mourning for nothing" his voice cracked as he felt the tears coming back in. He didn't mention the Iskall thing. That was a tomorrow problem.</p><p>Mumbo seemed to hug him just a little tighter "Mourning is never for nothing" he replied calmly "And even in the hypothetical situation that he didn't like you back it still wouldn't have been for nothing, he was still your friend." </p><p>"This isn't the time for big words Mumbo, you're not impressing anyone" Grian was able to crack a grin at his own joke.</p><p>"Hypothetical is a commonly used word, but that's besides the point. What I'm trying to say is that I can't imagine a single Mumbo in the multiverse who wouldn't like you back, and I feel incredibly lucky to be the one you chose" the redstoner smiled, pulling back just so that he could press his forehead against his partner's and look into his eyes.</p><p>"How come I ended up with the sappiest of Mumbos then?" Grian rolled his eyes "t-thank you for that anyways"</p><p>"Well maybe you're gonna have to deal with the sappiness because I'll stop in the grave- oh my god that's an awful choice of words I'm so sorry I didn't mean it-"</p><p>"Ahhh shut up" Grian cut him off by leaning forward for a quick kiss before swiftly pulling away and going back to the hug, he could feel his partner melt into his embrace "you're too apologetic for your own good" </p><p>"Well I'm sorry"</p><p>He chuckled "Okay now you're doing it on purpose"</p><p>"Maybe I am, but I like hearing you laugh"</p><p>"Heh, you're an asshole"</p><p>"Love you too"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Theeere we go. I'm so glad so many people enjoyed this, it makes me really happy! Thank you all so much for your support. Special thanks to my friend Cinn who came up with the Iskall thing, blame her for your tears not me (:</p>
        </blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
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